


Snowfall

by skivern



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, Fluff, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-06-10 19:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15298683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skivern/pseuds/skivern
Summary: She didn't know how long she has stayed outside, but the blonde knew that she has been walking for god-knows-how-long since she stormed out of that damned party, and no one would even care to look for her by now... until she felt a soft, woolly fabric gently laid on her neck.---A collection of Chaelisa short-stories and one shots.All Rights Reserved © Skivern 2018





	1. Snowfall

For a city as big as Seoul, it was unusual to see the ever-bustling conurbation less packed on the streets as the darkness of the night veiled over South Korea. The streets were lit by the cool hard-light materials that gave the city a magical and ethereal glow. Some streets were lined with the neon purples and reds that blended with the city lights that made the night life more appealing to the eyes and hearts of the youth. Lisa would have found it aesthetically beautiful at this time.

She would have... if it weren't for the growing ache in her chest.

It wasn't the first time Lisa had experienced emotional pain. She was rather used to it, but tonight seemed to be a struggle to control her fraying heart.

She knew that she shouldn't be crying over something that wasn't hers to begin with, but she still felt the cruel pain through her chest. She heaved a shaky sigh. She should be happy for them... for  _her._

But how could she, when the woman you loved for  _god-knows-how long_  says "yes" to someone that wasn't her?

The threads of her woven heart began to unravel as she watched her  _best friend_ , Jisoo, drop to one knee and propose to the woman who is none other than Jennie Kim. At that moment she knew that she couldn't stay in the party any longer.

_She needed to leave._

She felt her mother's eyes on her when she quickly turned away from the sight of the proposal, grabbed her coat, and walked out the venue.

She knew this was coming. She should have expected this, but god she could  _still feel_  the pain so fresh like it did years ago in high school.

It's childish.

"It's unfair," she muttered under her shaky breath.

It wasn't the first time she wished she had done something different either.

She could have done  _anything_ that could have altered the cruel destiny she was in. But as much as she has regretted for doing nothing back in the past, she couldn't do anything about it now either. It would be scandalous for their family's name if she were to take Jennie from Jisoo's arms.

She shook her head. She didn't want that. Her mother wouldn't want that.

Lisa bitterly chuckled under her breath.

Of course, her  _mother_  wouldn't want that. The older blonde woman couldn't even bring her eyes on her daughter as she lovingly used to after Lisa said that she has fallen for—

_"A woman!?" the older Manoban practically shrieked. Lisa had never seen her mother's face contorted with shock and disgust at once, and regret settled in the pit of her stomach._

_"A woman?" she repeated, flailing her slender arms in the air, "For god's sake, Lalisa, you are a woman! It's un-ladylike for you to love another woman. It's wrong, disgusting and horrible!"_

_"But Jennie is different, Mother," she reasoned, "She—"_

" _She is your best friend's girlfriend," her mother cut her off. "Leave them be! Let that Kim Jisoo have a woman, but not you! You of all people should know by now that it would be scandalous to have you taint our name with such obscene acts with women. Where had I gone wrong?!" she practically screamed the last bit to her, as if it made complete sense to the younger blonde. It did..._

_but it broke her heart none the less._

_Before her mother could say anything else, Lisa ran out towards the front door. Her mother's angry calls of her name were drowned by the tears and sobs that quickly ran down her pale cheeks as she ran as far as she could away from home._

There truly was nothing she could do anymore.  _Nothing._

She shivered as the cold breeze brushed against her pale skin and instinctively pulled her collars of her coat closer to her neck. She noticed the tiny hints of frosts covering the window panes of the stores while she fished for her gloves in the pockets.

A frown slowly formed its way on her face. Winter was almost here. It meant that the city would decorate itself to celebrate the Christmas holidays.

It also meant that she must spend those holidays with her family. Posh guests who are a  _pain-in-the-ass_  will be there. Her ignorant relatives will be there. The Kims will be there. Jennia will be there...

 _A_ _s Jisoo's fiancé_.

She shook her head, she slipped her gloves on and heaved a heavy sigh. Destiny couldn't give her a better story, or a happy ending in this life.

_This miserable and stupid life!_

Hot tears ran along her cheeks, and Lisa raised a gloved hand to her lips as she choked on the threatening sobs in her throat.

_She couldn't stand this anymore._

For all her life, she has been that  _perfect_ _daughter_  for her parents, and a single innocent heart had shattered everything she held dear.

Jennie didn't want to face her or even be near her anymore; her father hardly smiled at her alongside her mother; BamBam wasn't even there to help her when she needed him; Jisoo, the poor thing, wanted to help her but her parents kept her from doing so.

_She became a stigma in her own house._

Lisa felt her knees grow weak, and she allowed herself to fall on her knees as she buried her face in her hands and cried.

\--

_No one was there to see the weight she carried on her shoulders._

_No one was there to witness her heart shattering into a million pieces._

_No one was there to see her fraying apart from the seams._

_No one was there to hear her cries as she screamed in sadness._

\--

This was the first time Lisa  _truly_  felt alone as she stayed hunched against the cold, dreary pavement. She could hear the footsteps going past her as strangers walked by, pretending not to see her there on the ground.

 _She couldn't care anymore_.

Lisa stayed that way until no more tears came. The chilly breeze brushed against her face once again, and she felt cold.

_Raw, weak and cold._

She didn't know how long she has stayed outside, but the blonde knew that she has been walking for  _god-knows-how-long_  since she stormed out of that damned party, and no one would even care to look for her by now...

until she felt a soft, woolly fabric gently laid on her neck.

Lisa slowly looked up to see who knelt beside her, and found beautiful dark brown eyes studying her with concern. Her breath hitched.

She had never thought that she'll see those colors she had secretly adored again. Her companion's eyes glinted with immediate recognition, and gave her the warmest smile she has ever seen as she continued to wrap the scarf around the blonde. There was a long moment of silence until Lisa, finally, whispered her name.

"Chaeyoung."

"It's been a long while, Lalisa," she said, wiping the wet streak of tears off her cheeks which made Lisa a bit self-aware of how she looked right now. Red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks; without looking at her reflection she knew her hair was also a mess as stray strands of blonde hair frayed from the pony tail; hunched on the pavement at night like a homeless beggar.

She was a mess compared to Chaeyoung who donned a brown duffel coat, and a grey beanie that hid part of her beautiful dark hair that settled at the end of her waist. The lights of the city casted a cool glow on her, and she could see the lightness in the natural color of her hair; the shadows sculpting the soft features of her face; those long, dark lashes and pink lips.

She was just as gorgeous as she was the first time she saw her in high school.

"It has," Lisa winced at the sound of her voice, and she realized how dry her throat was. She struggled a bit to stand up, but thankfully Chaeyoung was there to lend a hand as she did. The blonde gave her quick thanks as she dusted her jeans and coat. When she finally straightened herself, Chaeyoung gave her a funny look.

"You're taller than the last time I saw you," she noted, eyeing the blonde girl up and down.

It was true. The blonde used to look up at her and their friends because she was a few inches shorter than them even in heels. Now she was standing as tall as Chaeyoung, and it quite surprised her as well.

Lisa could feel the faint blush settling across her cheeks, "Um, thanks." her hand rubbed the back of her neck, the other was shoved inside her coat's pocket. She glanced at Chaeyoung who was standing there patiently, and the blonde sighed. "Why are you here?"

Chaeyoung smiled softly, and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, "No one may have noticed, but I saw you walked out of the venue in an awful lot of hurry when Jisoo proposed. I wouldn't have minded since it's not in my business to intervene whatever personal things you ought to attend but—" she gazed directly at Lisa's brown eyes.

"You looked sick and pale, and suddenly I just thought of following you to make sure that you're all right. It kind of dawned to me that it's probably creepy to do so because you seemed fine while you were walking away for... I don't know, maybe about two hours? Until you suddenly broke down onto ground and... here we are."

Lisa could only nod. Although she would have felt embarrassed to hear all that, but she didn't. Instead, she found it relieving to know that Chaeyoung has been with her all along, although she doubted that the red-head knew why she left the venue.

"Would you mind telling me why?"

And there it was. Lisa heaved a deep sigh. She supposed that it would be fine to tell Chaeyoung everything about how she felt for Jennie. The girls did followed her to make sure she was okay for about two hours now.  _The least I could do is tell her,_  she thought.

So, she did, and silence settled between them.

Immediately, she thought that maybe it wasn't best to tell Chaeyoung everything at all. However, the other part of her said otherwise, that it was better to  _finally_  tell someone who would never judge.

She knew Chaeyoung back at High School, and the girl was kind and smart. She normally sees her in the school library, and they knew each other enough to ask for help with home works every occasionally, although they're not quite close as Chaeyoung is to Jennie and Jisoo, like herself with BamBam and Seulgi.

But she was a friend none the less.

Another cold breeze picked up and Lisa instinctively reached for the collar, but instead found the grey woolly scarf Chaeyoung wrapped around her.

She almost forgot about that.

She looked at Chaeyoung whose smile made her feel warm despite the dropping temperature. "Chaeng, thank—"

Her words were cut off when Chaeyoung stepped forward and enveloped the tall girl in a hug. Lisa blinked away the surprise she felt by the sudden action, and it made her feel warm and nice inside.

She reluctantly wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist to return the hug, then Chaeyoung tightened her hold on the blonde a bit. It almost made Lisa think that her friend didn't want to let go. Almost.

"Oh, Lisa," Chaeyoung breathed on the crook of her neck, and she giggled. Her breath was warm against the blonde's cold skin, "I didn't think that you had it bad for Jennie, yet I'm pretty sure that Taehyung is having it worse."

"You think so?" She said, pressing her cheeks against her head. Though Chaeyoung was wearing a beanie, the sweet scent of strawberry reached Lisa's nose as she breathed. "You think that his will put my suffering to shame?"

"It doesn't matter who is suffering the worst, although Taehyung  _was_  her ex-boyfriend. But the fact that both of you went blind, and fell in love with a shiny apple is understandable. I mean, Jennie  _is_  the definition of a perfection. We all know that, and almost everyone was bound to fall for her.  _I did too_."

"I-I'm sorry. What?"

Lisa was dumbstruck. She couldn't believe what she just heard.

Chaeyoung giggled and moved her head up to gaze directly at Lisa with a grin, her arms still resting on the Thai's broad shoulders, "Oh,  _I did_. I also had a crush on your best friend, Jisoo, too. But let's face it, she won't look at anyone else besides Jennie and chickens on her plate."

Lisa chuckled at that, "I couldn't agree more."

A soft smile settled on Chaeyoung's face once more, but there was something in her eyes that Lisa couldn't put a name to it.

Chaeyoung placed a hand on the blonde's cheek and said, "While you blindly chase after someone who won't look at you the same way. It's only a matter of time to _finally_ look away, and see the person waiting patiently for you."

Her breath hitched. It was  _indeed_  a matter of time for Lisa to finally realize what Chaeyoung was laying on the table. She couldn't say anything— the revelation processed in her head. She was speechless, and the red-head knew it.

Her smile slowly became wider, "Sometimes, I wondered when will you ever look at me the same way as you did to Jennie."

Lisa knew that she—herself—liked Chaeyoung more than just a friend while they were students, but she settled on calling it a  _"small crush."_

While Jennie was a perfect imperfection, Chaeyoung was more down-to-earth and it had attracted Lisa more than just the pretty face she held. She was preppy, smart and utterly enthusiastic.

Lisa realized it now.

\--

The constant study sessions in the library that Chaeyoung initiates whenever there was home works in their shared class.

Stopping-by to drop off some towels and bottles of water while Lisa trained outside in the field.

The private dance lessons they have when Chaeyoung couldn't understand the steps.

The occasional hang-outs in the café while they indulge their coffees.

\--

These small things that Chaeyoung put herself into for her made her wounded heart race, and Lisa silently berated herself because she was too into Jennie to see it.

And Chaeyoung... she patiently waited for her.

"I-I," Lisa began to speak, but she quickly closed her mouth.  _What was there for her to say?_

Chaeyoung giggled and leaned closer until their foreheads touched, "You don't have to say anything. I knew that you wouldn't notice, yet I still kept holding on that small hope. I thought maybe you enjoyed my company, and maybe you feel the same way as I do."

Lisa sighed as she tightened her hold around the girl's waist, "I'd be lying if I said that I haven't thought of you as more than a friend."

A faint blush settled on Chaeyoung's cheeks, but she couldn't tell whether it was from the cold or not, "You did..."

Lisa nodded and a genuine smile settled on her face, the brown of her eyes glistened with mirth, "I'm more than glad that you're here, Chaeng."

"Me too," she breathed, a small fog appeared as she did so.

She would have kissed her right now. She would have closed the small gap between their lips. However, she felt something cold and soft falling on their faces, and she looked up to see white snowflakes dancing in the atmosphere as they gently fell from the dark, starry sky.

_The first snowfall_ _of this year._

She turned back down to see Chaeyoung happily grinning at the first sight of snow, and Lisa admitted that she looked so perfectly beautiful in that moment.

"This is amazing, Lisa," she laughed, and Lisa knew that she wanted to listen to it over and over. Like a song stuck on repeat.

"It's so beautiful."

"Yes, it is," she said, breathlessly, never leaving her gaze on the girl in her arms.

Chaeyoung turned her head back to the Thai, and a pink blush settled on her cheeks. She knew what the blonde implied, and Lisa couldn't help but wished that she had known earlier; that she could had moved on from Jennie.

Chaeyoung grinned at her, and she felt herself do the same.

"Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?" Chaeyoung asked, her face inched closer to Lisa until their foreheads touched once more, closing her eyes.

Lisa answered, her heart pounding in her chest, "I believe that Destiny has its own funny way of writing a story about two people finding each other in hopes for true love."

"Do you believe in true love?" Chaeyoung's voice was soft, and she gazed at Lisa through her lashes.

"I do now."

Lisa closed the remaining distance between them and captured Chaeyoung's soft lips. It was then she could agree to herself that Destiny— though infuriating at times—does have a funny way in joining two people together.

As the two women melted in their embrace, the gentle snow continued to fall around them as a sign of a better and happier ever after.


	2. Afterglow

The bells rang, and students quickly shuffled for their belongings. The last subject teacher's voice drowned in the loud excitement of the juniors as he reminded them of a certain event before leaving himself. By one, twos, or groups, the students left the homeroom ― all except me.

I sat at the back of the room, staring outside the window two seats away, chin resting on my palm. Outside, the trees danced as the wind blew; dozens of red and gold leaves fell gently to the ground. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I watched. I don't feel like going home early today unlike the days prior. I knew why, and it bugs me under my skin. I  _wanted_  it... I _needed_  it.

Every now and then my mind would wander to  _you._  The picture of  _your_ gentle smile,  _your_  silky long hair, and  _your_ dark eyes ― they haunt me. It hurts to say that  _you_ would  _never_  enter the doors of this classroom. In fact,  _you_  don't know anything about me and my existence. I'm not one of those admirers who stop  _you_  in the hallway to get a chance to talk.  _You_  were kind to them. Always.

The way your eyes crinkle when  _you_  laugh with your friends flutters my heart; how your melodic voice filled the atmosphere takes my breath away; how you'd push your hair behind your ear makes me grin. I love it, these little things about  _you._  I love  _you._

I couldn't tell  _you_  this, because I don't know how you would react to something so...  _controversial._ I've seen plenty of girls, even as beautiful as you, frown at these things― things like me. But my parents are an exception and I'm quite glad about that, they accepted me as I am their only child. However, reality is cruel, and yet all I want from  _you_  is to  _find_  me.

The blue sky, slowly and dramatically, changed into red and orange hues. Now, before going home, I would finally get up from this seat and go up to the rooftop to wait as the sun sets on the horizon. In that moment when the sun does set, and a glow filled the last of the suns presence, my mind would feel peace. The  _afterglow_ , as it's called, gave me this personal feeling that no one could, and it puts me at ease from the constant thoughts of  _you._

Yes. It's always  _you. You_  and no one else.

However, today is different. I didn't feel like going up to the roof and wait for the glow because no matter how many times I go up to feel at peace, it doesn't change the lonely pain constricting inside my chest. I'm tired. The anxiety, the loneliness, the afterglow ― all of it. I'm tired, and all I wanted is  _you_. I could tell thousands of reasons why it should be you of all people in this world yet I couldn't say a single word... or maybe this is only a feeling without a thought.

The familiar sting in my eyes came suddenly, my sight beginning to blur, and a single tear fell on the ash wood desk. I tried not to, but I covered my face. I cried. This all seem childish ― foolish― but I can't help it.  _You_  're the only one who can make me feel this way, even when  _you_  never looked at me.

"Are you okay?"

I froze and stifled my sobs.  _It can't_   _be..._  I looked up and there  _you_ were. Standing in front of me with concern in those brown eyes. How did I not hear the sliding doors open nor the sound of your feet walking across the room? I quickly turned away as my face burned in embarrassment for my current state. Of all the times, why now?

"Does it look like I am?" I managed to say without stuttering.

"Why are you upset?" You ask.

 _Because of you_ , "It doesn't matter," I say. Wiping of the tears on my cheeks, I stood up from my seat to leave. I don't want her to see me like this.

I felt your hand grip my wrist. "Wait, don't leave," you said. I tried to pry myself away from you, but you held on tighter yet gentle not to hurt me.  _Why are you like this?_  "Park Chaeyoung. That's your name, right?"

I stopped, facing her with confusion written all over my face. A part of me felt giddy that you knew my name. I was about to ask you, but you had beaten me too it.

"You're friends with Jisoo-unnie, right?" I nodded, and you smiled, the kind where your eyes did the same, "She talks about you a lot."

"O-oh," I turned away from her. _I wonder what Jisoo-unnie has been telling her?_

You slowly let go of my wrist and leaned against the desk,  _my desk_ , scratching the back of your neck, "Not being a stalker and all, but, I see you here alone every time and I also noticed that you'd be at the roof by now," a light blush settled on your cheeks, and you gave out a nervous laugh.

 _Oh_. My eyes went wide.  _You knew me._ I didn't know what to say as you stood there with your head hung low, bashful and cute, your dark fringes slightly covering those pretty brown eyes. My heart swelled at the words.

"I didn't see you up there, so I thought you might be here," you said, glancing back at me then back to the floor once or twice, "I'm sorry if I bothered you."

I shook my head, "You didn't. I just didn't expect you to be here considering that you're one of the students at the first class."

You shrugged and crossed her arms, looking at me with such gentle intensity that I thought maybe, just maybe, you were looking for me and everything you said has an underline meaning to it.  _I'm so pathetic..._

"The people in the first class are snobbish and some girls are kind of, how should I say this..." you pinched the bridge of her nose, "putting themselves on me. Get what I mean?"

The problems of a popular girl, and yet, Lisa doesn't seem to be the mean type like in those cliche books and movies.  _She's just... nice._ I agreed, "Yeah, I get what you mean."

Your pink lips slowly widened and you gave me the most gorgeous smile I would never stop looking. I stared at her in awe, my heart running in a sprint, my knees felt weak, and the butterflies in my stomach fluttered. The one and only Lisa Manoban, the smartest girl in school, the best dancer in the crew, and the girl standing right in front of me, doesn't have a single clue about how she affects me this much.  _And to be this close to her is already overwhelming... what more is she..._

"Why do you always stay late?"

I stood there, frozen in my spot. I can't just tell her that the reason I stay late was hoping for you to find me.  _It's ridiculous! She'd probably think of me as a moron..._ But there wasn't any other reason why I stayed in the first place. It was always—

"You."

You stood there, surprised, and the beautiful smile was replaced by a hanging jaw. I turned away from you as the heat rose to my cheeks, and pretended to be amazed the by reds, oranges, pinks, purples and blues of the sky. It was the afterglow already. I heard you cross the short distance between us, and I could feel the warmth radiating off you from our proximity without looking at you.  _If I did, I'm a goner._

"Why?" you asked.

"I stay late because..." my voice was small, and I could feel the heat on my cheeks, "I hoped that you would find me here."

"And what if I already had?" you whispered, and I could feel your breath on my cheek.

I looked at her, and immediately felt the air out of my lungs from as if I was drowning in your dark orbs like bitter coffee swirled with saccharine sugar and the close proximity of your plump lips from mine. My mind was blank from responding to your question and something took my voice from me, disabling my ability to speak.  _How would I know the answer to your question?_

"I-I don't know..."

You smiled at me, the kind where your eyes would do the same, and gently you took my hand and cupped my face with the other. You leaned closer, your gaze down on my lips, and my eyes closed in its own accord.

When her lips pressed against mine, my knees went weak and I could hear my heart pounding. I wrapped my arms around your neck, and you slipped your arms around my waist, pulling me closer. I couldn't believe that you are here in this moment with me.

You slowly pulled away then rested your forehead against mine, and my eyes fluttered open to the sight of pink cheeks. Our eyes met once more, and you grinned. I did too.

"Chaeyoung-ah," Lisa breathed out, "You're the most beautiful angel I have ever been blessed to acknowledge. I see you everyday across the halls, alone in the library, and out in the court but you always turn away when I look at you," Lisa pecked my lips and continued, "When Jisoo-unnie told me about you, I wanted to meet you, to be with you, and to know more about you myself. So, Park Chaeyoung, will you let me?"

My heart was racing, "I only wanted you to find me."

"I'll take that as a yes," Lisa chuckled, pulling away and held both of my hands, "Why don't I walk you home for a start?"

"I wouldn't mind."


	3. Plans

The curtains were drawn back and bathed the room with a warm, bright light. Morning glories peaked shyly outside the large windows as blues and purples shone boldy under the sun. The soothing music of strings plucked from an acoustic guitar played through the large bedroom— creating a lazy atmosphere in between the room's walls.

Most of the time, her friends would drag her out of the house to go shopping or watch movies, but for some fateful reason, today wasn't those days. She had planned of doing her musical hobbies for the sake of productivity, or probably learn how to cook— not that she has  _someone_  to cook for.

But instead, Chaeyoung stared blankly at the bare ceiling, sprawled across her disheveled bed, donned in a white camisole and underwear.

She'd thought of what the other girls might think about her behaviour now, and Chaeyoung would agree that this wasn't like her at all. Usually, she will make her bed and tidy herself in the morning— not lying on unruly sheets in her underwear, listening to old acoustics while staring at the ceiling. Her  _so-called_  friends would hate her taste of music.

But today, she doesn't care.

It wasn't as if someone would rudely barge in her bedroom, and remind her to be that perfect popular girl in school.

_She's not a teenager anymore._

She chuckled by how stupid she once was. As a young girl, she was blinded by her father's expectations of the perfect girl he wanted her to be— she followed him. All the do's and don'ts of how a lady should act, acing all of her subjects, becoming student president, playing at least 2 classic musical instruments.

Everything was carefully placed in her life, and she never questioned her father's plans. All of the hard work she lived up to his impossible imagery of a perfect child rendered her hated and rarely loved by her peers. She was under the pretenses that whatever she does, reflects and involves him.

Chaeyoung shifted on her bed to lay on her side, facing the windows of her bedroom. Outside, the blue and purple petals of the morning glories peaked at the edges begging for her undivided attention. However, Chaeyoung stared at the vase of pink camellias sitting by the window sill, boldy contrasting against the white walls.

The  _walls_  she had carefully built over the years went crashing down to the ground when she saw  _her_ , and Heaven forbid that her life would be the same again.

Lisa Manoban was the epitome of a nerd. The brunette was smart. She knew how to fix mechanical things, reads fantasy and sci-fi books, has watched every season of The Big Bang Theory. Last of all, she wears this thin-rimmed, circular glasses.

Lisa Manoban was a new foreign transfer student, and it was expected that nobody would pay her mind right after she got used to the school— that she would blend in with the other nerds, or become invisible.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Lisa Manoban was also the epitome of a drop-dead gorgeous.

With or without glasses, Lisa was insanely beautiful. Her skin was smooth and tanned. Her face was small and her limbs were long, yet she walks as if she were a model in the halls. Her eyes were pools of strong bitter coffee, enveloped by the richness of sweet chocolate, and her lips were pink and soft as the petals of a gentle rose.

She wears loose jeans and sweaters, or anything that could keep imagination from running, but she—and few other girls—had noticed the subtlety of her appearance. Lisa was tall, and has a very feminine figure and lean muscles.

God knows how many times she and Jennie went for a morning jog with Jisoo in their neighborhood just to catch a glimpse of Lisa, jogging in her sports bra and shorts, and ogle at the Thai's glorious body on full display.

Chaeyoung bit her lip as she felt the heat of embarrassment rose to her cheeks at the memory of it.

Lisa  _knew_  that she was being watched— _that sly imbecile!_ _—_ and suddenly threw the trio a cocky smirk that nearly had them tripping over their feet before running off the bend.

_And we thought we were being unsuspicious..._

Lisa wasn't shy, and it was a fact Chaeyoung had to swallow like a hard pill without water. She was, no doubt,  _a pain in the ass_. There wasn't a day where the brunette would simply insist to be around her, constantly bugging her with cavernous questions.

Worst of all, she was a  _fucking_   _tease!_

It took her a goddamn while to realize that the  _sweet_  words flowing from those pink lips were laced with innuendos, followed by  _innocent fingers_  brushing down her arms... her sides... and lastly, down the dip of her back that sent shivers down her spine.

She couldn't even complain.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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She didn't want to.

The heat of her embarrassment died down when she laid her gaze back at the vase of pink camellias sitting by the window sill, bathing in the morning sunlight. Although the Thai may have pulled her into an atmosphere of sexual tension countless times, that wasn't why she started falling for the girl.

Chaeyoung heaved a heavy sigh. No one would have dare to go out with an uptight bitch like herself, but Lisa had managed to create a space in her heart in the most infurating way.

As much as she knew the girl was annoyingly confident, she was just as subtle as the way she looked when she first came into her life.

Lisa loved flowers, and somehow it surprised her to know. She identifies them, studies them, and bring out the meaning in them— it was her favorite hobby.

Chaeyoung giggled to herself. Who would've thought that a gorgeous nerd like her would be into flowers.

It gave her the idea that maybe Lisa was a soul born from the 1800s trapped inside a millenial body, the moment the girl walked in the music room with a bouquet of pink camellias and a smile plastered on her cute face.

 _"These are for you,"_  she said,  _"they're called pink camellias."_  Chaeyoung had to admit that her deep voice was another factor why her heart skipped.

Upon receiving the bouquet, Lisa left without uttering anymore words which left the brunette confused. Fortunately, her father wasn't home, but still she rushed to her bedroom and quickly fished out the phone in her purse.

_Longing for you._

She remembered the wide grin that stayed on her face all night, how her heart skipped beats, and ths warmth of knowing that Lisa felt that way for her.

With another heavy sigh, Chaeyoing sat up and rested against the headboard. After graduation, she hasn't heard anything from Lisa or about her from someone else. It was as if she disappeared out of their lives...

_Out of her life..._

She wondered that maybe she had made her wait for too long, or that Lisa's feelings for her had gone.

Chaeyoung hugged her knees. Just as the moment came when she finally admitted to herself that she loved her... she was gone. Disappeared like everyone else she loved.

She buried her head against her knees. The old acoustic music playing in her bedroom had stopped and the room became silent. She didn't want to think about the love she could have experienced, or probably keep, if she hadn't been so blinded by her father, her gender, and—

 _Knock. Knock. Knock_. Chaeyoung perked up at the faint sound of someone knocking at her front door.

She bolted out of bed, and rummaged through her closet until she managed to dress herself in a navy blue peter pan dress that hugged her curves. She quickly grabbed a hairtie sitting on her desk as slipped into a pair of sandals, then rushed down the stairs— nearly tripping herself in the process.

Whoever was behind the door must have known that she was inside, because the knocking stopped the moment she arrived at the front door.

_Who could it be?_

Chaeyoung opened the door, and she was immediately greeted by a bouquet of red chrysanthemums that hid the face of the person holding them— they were silent.

She paused. There weren't any possible suitors that crossed her mind, and she damn well knew that no one would try to ask her out. Her gaze fell on the hands holding the bouquet— it was  _too slender and feminine._

Her breath hitched and her hands began to shake. In general, suitors would simply give roses if they want her to get the idea right away.

But this one behind in front of her was a woman holding a bouquet of red chrysanthemums, not roses.

"Lisa?" she asked, nearly in a whisper against the gentle breeze, hopes en route to heaven.

The person before her slowly lowered the bouquet to their chest, until the familiar sight of brown eyes and toothy grin greeted her.

Her jaw dropped.

Chaeyoung couldn't comprehend that the girl she was thinking about moments before was now standing in front of her. The curves of her body as subtle as the bends of the river were enveloped by the sheer simplicity of a small white shirt and skinny blue jeans; hair as dark as earth's rich soil cascaded down her shoulders like elegant waterfalls laced with tendrils of gold shining underneath the morning sun; brown-mahogany orbs laced with swirls of burning amber gazed at her with youthful mirth. This time however, the black thin-rimmed, round glasses were no where in sight.

The gorgeous girl she once loved, had become into the beautiful woman she is now.

"How are you?" she asked. Chaeyoung's heart swelled at the sound of her soft, deep voice. It's been so long since she has heard it last.

"I-I'm doing all right," she stuttered, "Am I still asleep in my bedroom?"

"No, you're not," the brunette chuckled.

_It was all surreal..._

"It has been long since the last time I saw you, Chaeng."

Not trusting herself to speak, she merely nodded. She was trembling from the sound of her name from the brunette's lips. It felt so...  _right_.

"Here," she gestured to the bouquet in her hands, "I noticed a little flower shop on the way, and I thought that maybe it's about time I bought you something that you'll never forget."

"I never forgot about the pink camellias you first gave me," Chaeyoung said, staring at the bright red petals of the flowers. "Who would've thought that the girl I was thinking moments ago would be at the front of my doorstep."

"You were thinking about me?" she asked as a light blush settled on her round cheeks, her green sneakers brushed against the stone porch when she shifted her weight on one leg.

Chaeyoung nodded moving her gaze back to the other woman, "I never forgot about you, Lisa, but I was afraid that you have forgotten about me."

"I never did."

Her heart skipped a beat, and Chaeyoung felt the familiar heat rose up to her cheeks. She giggled, "Red chrysanthemums huh? I wonder what they mean this time."

"That's something you ought to figure out on your own," Lisa's smile noticably became coy.

"I can't believe on how persistent you are on giving me flowers other than roses m, instead of telling me yourself," she raised a brow, "Why is that?"

She remembered the different kinds of flowers after the bouquet of pink camellias, and Lisa never uttered a single explanation.

The said woman's lips quickly settled into a toothy grin that brought crinkles to her chocolate eyes, and she simply said, "I believe in the saying that actions speak louder than words."

_Well then..._

"Do you have any plans for today, Chaeng?" Lisa asked, "I want to take you out on a date."

 _Oh._  "N-no, I don't," she stuttered.  _Very blunt, Manoban._

"Good, I want to make up for the lost time we had."

Once more, her heart skipped, "L-Let me put these in the vase, and maybe I'll accept you on your invite."

"Why do I feel that I already know the answer?" she chuckled.

Chaeyoung went back inside to her living room, and found an empty vase sitting by the window sill. She carefully placed the chrysanthemums, and quickly watered the vase. The wonderful bright red petals stood out in the cream themed living room.

A butterfly fluttered outside the window and Chaeyoung directed her attention outside her garden- various colors of blues, reds, yellows, and purples decorated the backyard against the green bushes. It was the first time in a long while that she truly noticed what Spring could bring.

Quickly, she went back to her bedroon and grabbed her phone from the bed, then she searched— just as she did with the pink camellias.

_I love you._

A wide grin settled on the brunette's face as her heart raced. After all these years of only living in memories and  _what ifs_ , she still loved her.

From now on, Spring will be forever the time where her first love came back after the hurdles of the last three seasons.

She grabbed her purse and rushed back down the stairs, to the front door where Lisa stood patiently—  _waiting for her_.

It was a bright Sunday morning, and it seems that she has plans afterall.

 


	4. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Sequel to Snowfall

It's been three months since the engagement party, and the Thai has done nothing but try to stitch herself together. It wouldn't be fair to Chaeyoung if they start a relationship immediately after their kiss that night, and hurting the girl was the last thing in her mind. She wanted to be completely healed by the time she pursues her, and she felt that she owes the girl for waiting a bit more longer.

It was a bit warmer as the sun shone bright in the city, although the breeze that brushed against her skin was still cool. Lisa didn't mind. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket, fumbling with the envelope that was inside, and walked through the streets.

Cars drove past her as she walked to the postal office, and some even had their windows down and suddenly greet people on the street with a big smile on stretched across their faces. The locals seemed bright and happy today, and Lisa smiled when an old man from the newspaper stand greeted her, in which she bowed in return.

Lisa took a deep breath, and looked around her surroundings before heading inside the post office. She would surely miss the city.

 

_\---_

 

"Ms. Kim, a letter has been delivered to you," a maid said as she handed an envelope to the young heiress who was simply sitting outside the balcony, thinking of a certain someone.

"From who?" she asked, turning her gaze away from the garden, taking the letter the from the maid.

"It doesn't say, madame," she said, and the young heiress nodded. She dismissed the maid, then turned the letter in her hands. Her name was a beautiful calligraphy written in gold, and she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat. Jennie knew who it was from.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever emotion the letter was bound to give her.

 

_Dear Jennie,_

Have you seen the flowers bloom this season? How the tiny, red rose buds had opened romantically; how the red chrysanthemums sway against the gentle breeze; how the pink camellias stood innocently by the window sills. It's Spring, and  _only this time will I write to you again._

It's been a  _long_  time, hasn't it? Since the last I have addressed you like this, though I'm sure that you would never look at me the way I will look at you one more time. I'm certain that my feelings for you still remains, for my heart beats an irregular and painful rhythm despite my efforts to forget the sorrows that sit proudly in my chest as I cried each night— thinking what could have happened if I have not listened to the idea of you reciprocating my feelings... until the day I'll finally give my love to someone worthy.

I could have  _known you_  more— from the secrets you keep to the perspective of the world you see. I would love you as the person you are.

But that was not what happened, wasn't it?

Until now, I am sorry for the things I have done that drifted our friendship apart in the vast sea. I should have listened to my head rather than my heart, but regretting now would never change the consequences I have to endure.  _I lost you._

Not as a lover, but as a friend.

I was obsessed about the idea of your feelings reciprocating mine, and forced myself upon you that did more wrong than good. I shouldn't have rushed, and I shouldn't have listened to my own hopelessness.

_I was nothing but an idiot._

When the silence stretched between us, it killed me. I averted my attention to another girl— to someone who will never be ready to put the idea of loving the same gender into reality. I should have left her and I as friends. That wasn't what happened didn't it? I fell, yet again, to the concept of limerence.

_Another set of silence fell upon me._

Just so you know, Jen, limerence is not lust. It's the  _obsession_  of having one's feelings returned. I, myself, was its victim. My entire being fell out from the seams, and many times had my fragile heart shattered into pieces. God knows hows how much tears had wet my sheets; how much pain I endured caused by the careless knots that sits in my chest. Nobody has to know how much more I had to take, and  _even I_   _don't want to know_.

 _My Jennie, it cannot be helped._ I am merely writing, not because I want you to love me, but to be honest with how I have been lately. I don't want to keep all of this in a bottle any longer.

I dreamt of holding your firm hands as we walk on the streets, keeping each other close; of caressing your soft cheeks and kissing your pink lips. I would look into your eyes and you would see just how much you mean to me.

However, all of these I dreamt about are reality now, isn't it? Only that it's with someone  _not me._

You and her have always been close, everyone knew that, but I wasn't  _blind_  to how the both of you interacted with each other. I tried to deny it, but it was already evident enough for the people around you to know as well. It honestly broke me, but I didn't cry this time.  _I was tired of the pain in my wounded heart._

Our friends asked if I am all right, for they know how I felt for you. I responded to them, saying that I am fine and that there's nothing for them worry about, in which they were skeptical at first—  _eventually, they believed._ There truly wasn't anything for them to worry about, but it still hurt.

As the flowers bloom outside in the gardens, my heart has opened once more for the love that will never come, or maybe it has. This is  _why_  I am writing to you, one last time.

These regrets will forever be in my memory, but  _I know_  that you have a forgiving heart and that  _I_  am the the only person waiting to forgive myself. But if you might ask what is one thing I do not regret...  _Jennie, I never regretted falling for you._

I have learned my lesson. I guess it's true that nothing in this world will come easy. No matter how prepared a person will be, it would still appear to them unexpectedly... but what comes after the initial shock or realization is what matters. That is, I believe, how the saying  _"prepare for the unexpected"_  goes.

I don't plan to write more than I should. However, know that I am doing everything I can to stitch the wounds of my heart, and  _only time will help me heal._

I'm happy that you have found happiness with the very person you love and trust. I'm certain that she will  _never_  hurt you like I did, and may she love you when the hurdles of your lives tries to push you both apart.

Jennie, I am  _finally_  willing to forgive myself once and for all while the flowers happily bloom in the gardens. After all, I shouldn't be stuck in the cold when Spring tries to bring joy in sad, lonely hearts.

_Sincerely,_

_Lisa_

 

Jennie carefully folded the paper, and wiped the tears that escaped her eyes. All of her regrets came pouring down on her like a bucket of ice cold water as she took in a shaky breath, trying to will herself not to cry. She was sure that she had loved Jisoo, but how can she when she knew that all of this was a facade force upon her by her mother? It wasn't that the Kims and the Manobans were enemies.

No, it was simply that their mothers didn't want them together. Her and Lisa.

It breaks her heart whenever she notices the flash of pain and sorrow in the Thai's brown eyes that she grew to love, since the day Chaeyoung introduced them to each other back in the library. They became close friends after that, and well, neither one said anything. They're feelings for each other were bound to be discovered by the people surrounding them, yet they were pushed away from each other like the strong waves of the ocean.

She could have fought for the girl, but there was no use anymore. Lisa was moving on to heal herself, and knowing the girl, she would stay away from the city.  _Away from Jennie._

And for herself? She was stuck on marrying the girl she couldn't love entirely a week from now, but maybe, she would learn to love Jisoo the same way she secretly loved Lisa.

 

\---

 

_**2 years later** _

 

Sunshine basked the bedroom with bright light. She watched the vibrant colors of the flowers on the other side of the window, smiling as the red, purples, and blues stood out against the dominant green color of nature and gave life to the white bedroom.

She chuckled at the memory of her girlfriend insisting to give their shared room a white schematic— mimicking a blank canvas. She even explained that a few colors here and there would give life to the bedroom, such as the small potted green succulents that occupied at least one or two in the white box shelves mounted on the wall and a vase of roses that boldly sat on the window sill.  _She's always been such an artist._

She had to admit— the bedroom looked a bit professional, but bright and personally cozy at the same time.

Her gaze settled on a certain lump on the other side of the bed and she smiled lovingly. Her smooth skin glowed underneath the light and created the light dust on her shoulders appear as gold as the rays. The red strands of hair shone like crackling fire as it lay strewn against the white sheets, framing the delicate features that slept soundly.

She lifted the duvet up to cover the redhead's bare shoulders before leaning forward and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Slowly her eyes fluttered open and their gazes met— her heart raced to the finish line. She froze in place, her breath stolen from her as if she were drowning in the deepest and bluest parts of the ocean. She didn't want to rise to the surface to breathe— she was willing to drown into unfathomable trenches of the sea, wherein lies thousands of mysteries and secrets waiting to unfold. The sheer depth of those brown orbs gave her the sense of a home that will never cease to swell her heart with love. She couldn't get used to how the morning light would brighten the bitterness of strong coffee into swirls of cinnamon wrapped with sweet caramel, dusted with specks of gold, that veiled countless untold stories of raw emotion and imprisoned the sweetness of saccharine chocolate.

As she continued to gaze upon acrylic paints mixed to create the shades of brown, she noticed the corner of her eyes beginning to crinkle like the crispness of fresh bread and and her soft, pink lips formed a gentle smile.

"Good morning," the voice laced with a husky tone from having just woken up was magical to the Thai's ears.

"Good morning to you too," she said as she leaned forward and planted a kiss on the redhead's cheeks, "Did you sleep well?"

The red head stretched her limbs, then wrapped her arms around her girlfriend—who laid back into the pillows—and snuggled her head against the crook of her neck.

"You have no idea," she murmured, "last night was amazing."

Lisa chuckled, "There's more where that came from."

"You have a lot of mischief up on your sleeves, don't you? Knowing you, there's probably a plan brewing in your mind right now!" Chaeyoung heaved an exaggerated sigh as the brunette laughed which reminded her of bluebells blooming in the Spring. She placed a kiss on the Thai's cheek.

"You'll never know, maybe the next time will be more  _exciting_  than the last," she said with a hint of slyness to her voice.

"Oh, Lisa, how am I ever going to keep up with you?"

"We can always invest in a safe word, Chaeng."

She rolled her eyes and groaned. Lisa laughed which earned a slap on her arm from the red head, "And here I thought we weren't talking about sex."

"Really? I have a few ideas already in my head," her expression quickly turned into a cheeky grin, even though she tried to feign perplexion.

"I hate you sometimes, you know that, Lisa?"

"Aw, I love you too, Chipmunk."

Chaeyoung couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her girlfriend. She knew for a fact that the brunette was only messing with her. She continued to snuggle against her chest, and let out a contented sigh.

Lisa raked her fingers through her girlfriend's fiery hair as they laid in silence. The press of Chaeyoung's body against her own felt as though she was a missing puzzle Lisa was trying to find through the scattered pieces on the floor; the arm that wrapped around her waist kept her her grounded to the earth's rich soil when strong roars of the wind tried to blow her away. Lisa couldn't think of going anywhere but here— in this bed with this beautiful woman. How did she deserve such a beauty? She'll never know.

She smiled to herself.  _She doesn't need to know_.

In her life that was once a land covered in dark storms and brittle glass, veiled the flowers that bloomed beautifully across the fields and meadows of one's heart; an umbrella appeared to shelter the lonely flower from the storm, and take it into a house filled with the loveliest scent of fresh bread and compassion to call it her home.

Lisa was finally willing to love her, and Chaeyoung never stopped loving her in return.

Her lover's humming filled her ears, and took her out of her reverie. Lisa planted a kiss on her crown, and almost immediately Chaeyoung looked up at her with a gentle smile, "What's on your mind?"

"I love you," she said.

"Silly, you said that before," her smile grew.

"I know," she stated in a matter-of-fact, "and I won't get tired of saying it again. I love you, Chaeyoung."

"I love you too, Lisa," Chaeyoung pushed herself forward and captured the brunette's lips. She couldn't think of being in someone else's arms but hers. When they pulled away, she pressed her forehead against the Thai's, "Is there really a plan in your head?"

Lisa smiled, "Well, it's bound to  _'rival'_  our date last night," she air-quoted with her fingers.

"And may I know what this plan of yours is?"

"We have all the time, Chaeng, but for now it's a secret," Lisa kissed her forehead.

"I'm counting on it," she smiled, capturing her girlfriend's lips once more.

 


	5. Rosé (Only Heaven Knows)

Lisa walked slowly with her heart hammering frantically against her chest, hands in the pockets of her jeans.

The flower in front of her was merely wearing a big white shirt with the front tucked into her ripped jeans, but that didn't matter. She was tall, but she didn't care about that either. A few minutes ago, her hair was tied in a clean ponytail, and now strands of hair had fallen out from its place, but she still managed to look vibrant despite the mess. Her ebony locks shone like waves of gold as she walked through the dappled sunlight; her eyes would narrow and crinkle in the sides like fresh, crisp bread as she turned to beam at her; the dark earth in her eyes glinted with mirth—  _happy to see_ _ _her__ _after a long while_. Lisa found her beautiful.

_Only Heaven knows how much she loves the girl._

From the moment the Thai saw her, she knew that the girl would take a place in her heart and in the end, she took most of it. Out of all the people she could've fallen for, it was  _her_. She was different. She was a rose dancing in the breeze, standing out among dozens like her.

The name  _Rosé_  fitted her so well.

The sweet melody of her laughter brought life once more to her beating heart as the pure sound reached her ears. She could listen to it forever and ever.

Rosé stood out against the tall evergreens, and the orange‑haired couldn't think of a better place where she looked beautifully happy. It was as if nature and her work along to create a beautiful painting she would never forget.  _A masterpiece._

Lisa was told that they were practically attached to the hip from the moment the two met on their third year of high school. She couldn't agree more. She and Rose have become fast friends since then.

_Only Heaven knows that she had felt more for her than she should have._

She was afraid— afraid that the moment she would speak out how she truly felt, she'd lose her. It happened to her peers  _almost_  all the time, and not only were they crying for their unrequited feelings.  _they lost valuable friendship in favor for awkwardness._

So, she kept silent. She kept the facade of being happy as her friend until college. Rosé was happy; Lisa was happy.

_Only Heaven knows how much she regretted._

Jisoo has been her best friend for the longest time since grade school. While Lisa was the scholar, Jisoo was the all-time athlete. She would run around and do her stunts whenever she has the chance or was asked to. To place the cherry on top, she was handsomely gorgeous with the untamable messy— _yet neat in a way—_ raven hair that suited her; the petite, but strong body; the cute dark eyes that narrows when she smiles.

She has been told that girls and boys always seem to go for someone such as her best friend.  _It was true_.

There was no way for her to compete against her by two things. Firstly, she was one of those generic students—who don't wear anything aside their uniforms—with hair that abided the school policy and blended amongst the crowd who were side-lined by those who were terribly good looking.

Secondly, she was a  _nerd_.

She was used to girls glaring her way while she and Jisoo walked together in the halls. She was a sister to her, and vice versa. Lisa had already established the fact that she would never see Jisoo any other way, and so did the older girl. When the others had finally realized this, some girls would walk up to her to simply ask about Jisoo from time to time— which she begrudgingly answer with a no.

She and Gale confide in each other like sisters, and so Jisoo knew about her love for a certain girl. Lisa never mentioned her name, no matter how many times he insisted. Instead, she decided to introduce them together without telling Jisoo that Rosé was the girl she loved.

_Only Heaven knows how much she cried._

Jisoo,  _her best friend_ , managed to swoop the bright rose from her garden and nothing had bloomed since. She regretted so much in a span of seconds when Rosé admitted that she liked Jisoo. She regretted not saying anything to her before; having them meet; having the raven-haired hang-out with them more.

She should have known when they practically told her that they were going somewhere without her, yet she didn't think much of it- she had ended up in a  _worse_  place than rejection.

Girls like boys. Girls like girls. Girls like the good-looking ones. Girls like those  _who were confident enough to tell them that they like them._

It was unfair, but there was nothing she could do.

She wasn't as confident as Jisoo

Wasn't as athletic as Jisoo

Wasn't as good-looking as Jisoo.

It was already clear that the brunette would never look at her the way Lisa does. She knew Rosé better than anyone, but that was not the case anymore—  _everything changed_. Rose was happier than before, and Lisa was sadder than before. She couldn't confide anything to Jisoo anymore, but she listened to her best friend's stories of their moments together.

_Only Heaven knows how much pain twisted inside her chest._

Lisa did her best to avoid the couple no matter how much they tried asking her to join them— giving them reason upon reason. The couple were concerned for her, but she couldn't look at them without getting hurt all over again.  _Fate was cruel to put her there no matter how much she did her best._

"You all right there, Lisa?"

_But it wasn't enough._

She linked back from her thoughts, and noticed the concern etched across their faces. By some cruelty, Lisa had agreed to join a get-together in the meadow with their old friends. She shouldn't keep going like this, but gave a half-hearted smile and a shrug, "I'm fine, Jisoo."

Jisoo nodded with disbelief, but she smiled, "It feels like you don't really want to come along with us."

She kept silent.

"You should get out of that bookshop from time to time, Lisa," Rosé said. "You'll grow old working in there without you knowing."

She chuckled. Rosé always knew how to lighten her up, but it was different now. She didn't really want to trouble them with the thought that they must have done something wrong to her, and the last thing she wanted was to lose their friendship.

She smiled, "Now that you've mentioned it. I do need an excuse to get out of that boring hellhole."

It worked on Jisoo. "There you go," she chuckled, "I almost gave up on you if it weren't for little miss piggy here."

It didn't work on Rose, "Our friends have been asking about you, you know. It's been a while."

Lisa nodded, "Yeah. A  _long_  while."

"At least you agreed to come hang-out with us this time, Lisa," she said with a small smile. "It means a lot to me."

Her heart skipped, but she didn't want to let her hopes up, "Thanks for thinking of bringing me along."

"What are best friends for?" Jisoo grinned.

Her best friend turned around to continue walking, but Rose stared at her and their eyes locked. She knew that the brunette felt that there was something wrong as the pools of brown (she would never stop loving) glinted with worry.

"Yeah, what are best friends for," Lisa softly repeated.

Rose opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. Whatever she was about to say, it never came out to the world. Their gazes broke as Jisoo shouted to a group huddled by their cars. Lisa didn't realize that the dirt path had opened into a grassy meadow, and she looked around. Her former college and high school friends were already sitting in a circle with rows of food settled on a clean blanket. One would think that a feast was going to be held. Suddenly, she felt the air squeeze out of her lungs as a someone hugged her tightly.

"Lisa, you're here!"

"Is my presence that expected?" she breathed out, once the hold on her loosened.

"Pabo, of course it is," she chuckled, "Only Heaven knows what you've been doing in that dusty bookstore of yours." Lisa humorlessly laughed. The short brunette grabbed her arm and pulled her into their circle. She didn't fail to notice Rose staring at her weirdly, but when their gazes met, she quickly turned away.  _What's wrong Park Chaeyoung?_

"You're still alive!" a blonde girl grinned, adjusting the cap on her head and pointed at the short girl clutching Lisa's arm, "Jennie can't stop beaming about  _seeing you_  again."

"Who wouldn't be?" Jennie shot her a glare, and the other girl only laughed.

"I'm glad to be here too, Jeongyeon. It's a nice change from the bookstore," Lisa said as she settled on the blanket with Jennie.

"It means a lot that you're here now,  _Limario_ ," a pale girl leaning against a pick-up truck said, "Now we're almost complete."

"Still sticking to that nickname for me, Dahyun?"

The pale girl grinned and shrugged her shoulders, "Never gets old to me."

Jisoo stood and clapped her hands together, "Why don't we get this get-together started?"

"Mina and Chaeyoung texted that they'll will be late," Dahyun said placing her phone back into the pocket of her jacket, "Jeongyeon said that they're settling the last of their stuff in their apartment."

"Honestly, they took a while to finally become a couple, right Nayeon?" Jeongyeon commented, turning to her the girl sitting next to her— who was smiling that showed her bunny teeth.

"Since high school," she said.

"I'll congratulate the two when they get here," Jisoo grinned, wrapping her arms against Rose's waist. Lisa glanced over at Rosé and raised a brow when she noticed that the brunette was staring at her weirdly once more. Rose only gave her a cute smile. Lisa would ask her later.

"So, Lisa," Jennie asked, pulling her attention away from Rosé who was — _frowning? —_ she must've imagined it, "Let's talk about how  _you've_  been doing lately."

She could feel their eyes on her, but Lisa settled to focus on Jennie as she was the one who wanted this conversation. Jennie was smiling her gummy smile and Lisa had found it cute. She always had.

"I'm doing okay, I suppose. Just going around the usual stuff," Lisa shrugged, there wasn't anything exciting in her life. Really.

"Please tell me you still dance," Dahyun pouted cutely, "You were like— the best dancer back in high school."

"I still do," Lisa chuckled.

She still does. In fact, she owned a dance studio right below her apartment. She found the space useless at first because it was empty until she discovered the rows of mirrors when she pulled the dusty black curtains. Lisa took it upon herself to continue dancing as her recreational time while she worked on her bookstore across the street.

"Good to hear that our Limario is still the same as ever," Jeongyeon turned to Dahyun, "What about you and Sana? I haven't heard much from the two of you."

"Oh? I thought you guys already knew?"

"What do you mean?" Nayeon furrowed her brows, confused.

"Sana and I aren't together anymore," Dahyun said as a matter-of-factly. Lisa wasn't surprised though, she knew about it since Momo was one of her friends in her dance classes.

"Yah! How?! When?! Why?! Jeongyeon shouted.

"We suddenly talked about it one day. Sophomore year," Dahyun shrugged, "It was mutual though, the both of us fell out of love. It's fine."

_"What the fu-"_

"Jisoo, language," Rosé lightly slapped the older girl's arm, and the latter sheepishly smiled, mumbling an apology afterwards.  _Some things stay the same._

"Didn't expect that revelation, honestly," Jennie said, she turned to Lisa and tilted her head to the side, "How come you're not surprised?"

"Did you know about this?" Rosé asked, gazing intently. Lisa felt Jennie held on to her arm tightly.

_What is going on?_

Instead, Lisa nodded, "Dahyun's girlfriend and I were in the same dance class. She's from Japan as well."

"You really have a thing for Japanese women, don't you,  _Tofu_?" Jeongyeon chuckled.

"No need to tease, hubby," Nayeon glared at her in which the blonde immediately shut up.

"Thanks, Nayeon-eonnie," Dahyun smiled, "Her name's Hirai Momo."

"I'd like to meet her someday," Nayoen smiled. She always sounded like a mother to the younger girls.

"Maybe soon," she smiled.

The girls continued to catch up with their lives, until Mina and Chaeyoung finally arrived with more baskets of food. They opened cans of cola (since neither one wanted to get drunk) ate the food they brought, laughed and told stories throughout the afternoon. It was a good day, but Lisa still felt the ache in her heart growing heavier by each second.

Jennie suddenly leaned closer to her, and whisper against her ear, "Do you want to go now?"

Lisa sighed. She could see the concern etched across Jennie's face and the Thai knew that the girl won't take no for an answer. She nodded. Jennie smiled softly.

_Only Heaven knows how she's hurting in each second..._

"Hey, guys," Jennie stood up, calling for their attention and everyone has settled their eyes on her, "Lisa and I will get going now. We both have something important to do attend to tomorrow."

"Come on, Jendeukie," Jisoo pouted, "It's the weekend tomorrow. You don't have work in the office."

"I don't, but I have somewhere to be," Jennie said, turning to Lisa and gave a secretive wink, "Lisa has to go somewhere too."

The Thai immediately nodded, "I agreed to help Tzuyu with the preparations before opening her new café."

It was entirely true. Before the couple insisted, Tzuyu had dropped by the bookstore and asked if Lisa could taste the menu for the

Lisa walked slowly with her heart hammering frantically against her chest, hands in the pockets of her jeans.

The flower in front of her was merely wearing a big white shirt with the front tucked into her ripped jeans, but that didn't matter. She was tall, but she didn't care about that either. A few minutes ago, her hair was tied in a clean ponytail, and now strands of hair had fallen out from its place, but she still managed to look vibrant despite the mess. Her ebony locks shone like waves of gold as she walked through the dappled sunlight; her eyes would narrow and crinkle in the sides like fresh, crisp bread as she turned to beam at her; the dark earth in her eyes glinted with mirth—  _happy to see_ _ _her__ _after a long while_. Lisa found her beautiful.

_Only Heaven knows how much she loves the girl._

From the moment the Thai saw her, she knew that the girl would take a place in her heart and in the end, she took most of it. Out of all the people she could've fallen for, it was  _her_. She was different. She was a rose dancing in the breeze, standing out among dozens like her.

The name  _Rosé_  fitted her so well.

The sweet melody of her laughter brought life once more to her beating heart as the pure sound reached her ears. She could listen to it forever and ever.

Rosé stood out against the tall evergreens, and the orange‑haired couldn't think of a better place where she looked beautifully happy. It was as if nature and her work along to create a beautiful painting she would never forget.  _A masterpiece._

Lisa was told that they were practically attached to the hip from the moment the two met on their third year of high school. She couldn't agree more. She and Rose have become fast friends since then.

_Only Heaven knows that she had felt more for her than she should have._

She was afraid— afraid that the moment she would speak out how she truly felt, she'd lose her. It happened to her peers  _almost_  all the time, and not only were they crying for their unrequited feelings.  _they lost valuable friendship in favor for awkwardness._

So, she kept silent. She kept the facade of being happy as her friend until college. Rosé was happy; Lisa was happy.

_Only Heaven knows how much she regretted._

Jisoo has been her best friend for the longest time since grade school. While Lisa was the scholar, Jisoo was the all-time athlete. She would run around and do her stunts whenever she has the chance or was asked to. To place the cherry on top, she was handsomely gorgeous with the untamable messy— _yet neat in a way—_ raven hair that suited her; the petite, but strong body; the cute dark eyes that narrows when she smiles.

She has been told that girls and boys always seem to go for someone such as her best friend.  _It was true_.

There was no way for her to compete against her by two things. Firstly, she was one of those generic students—who don't wear anything aside their uniforms—with hair that abided the school policy and blended amongst the crowd who were side-lined by those who were terribly good looking.

Secondly, she was a  _nerd_.

She was used to girls glaring her way while she and Jisoo walked together in the halls. She was a sister to her, and vice versa. Lisa had already established the fact that she would never see Jisoo any other way, and so did the older girl. When the others had finally realized this, some girls would walk up to her to simply ask about Jisoo from time to time— which she begrudgingly answer with a no.

She and Gale confide in each other like sisters, and so Jisoo knew about her love for a certain girl. Lisa never mentioned her name, no matter how many times he insisted. Instead, she decided to introduce them together without telling Jisoo that Rosé was the girl she loved.

_Only Heaven knows how much she cried._

Jisoo,  _her best friend_ , managed to swoop the bright rose from her garden and nothing had bloomed since. She regretted so much in a span of seconds when Rosé admitted that she liked Jisoo. She regretted not saying anything to her before; having them meet; having the raven-haired hang-out with them more.

She should have known when they practically told her that they were going somewhere without her, yet she didn't think much of it- she had ended up in a  _worse_  place than rejection.

Girls like boys. Girls like girls. Girls like the good-looking ones. Girls like those  _who were confident enough to tell them that they like them._

It was unfair, but there was nothing she could do.

She wasn't as confident as Jisoo

Wasn't as athletic as Jisoo

Wasn't as good-looking as Jisoo.

It was already clear that the brunette would never look at her the way Lisa does. She knew Rosé better than anyone, but that was not the case anymore—  _everything changed_. Rose was happier than before, and Lisa was sadder than before. She couldn't confide anything to Jisoo anymore, but she listened to her best friend's stories of their moments together.

_Only Heaven knows how much pain twisted inside her chest._

Lisa did her best to avoid the couple no matter how much they tried asking her to join them— giving them reason upon reason. The couple were concerned for her, but she couldn't look at them without getting hurt all over again.  _Fate was cruel to put her there no matter how much she did her best._

"You all right there, Lisa?"

_But it wasn't enough._

She linked back from her thoughts, and noticed the concern etched across their faces. By some cruelty, Lisa had agreed to join a get-together in the meadow with their old friends. She shouldn't keep going like this, but gave a half-hearted smile and a shrug, "I'm fine, Jisoo."

Jisoo nodded with disbelief, but she smiled, "It feels like you don't really want to come along with us."

She kept silent.

"You should get out of that bookshop from time to time, Lisa," Rosé said. "You'll grow old working in there without you knowing."

She chuckled. Rosé always knew how to lighten her up, but it was different now. She didn't really want to trouble them with the thought that they must have done something wrong to her, and the last thing she wanted was to lose their friendship.

She smiled, "Now that you've mentioned it. I do need an excuse to get out of that boring hellhole."

It worked on Jisoo. "There you go," she chuckled, "I almost gave up on you if it weren't for little miss piggy here."

It didn't work on Rose, "Our friends have been asking about you, you know. It's been a while."

Lisa nodded, "Yeah. A  _long_  while."

"At least you agreed to come hang-out with us this time, Lisa," she said with a small smile. "It means a lot to me."

Her heart skipped, but she didn't want to let her hopes up, "Thanks for thinking of bringing me along."

"What are best friends for?" Jisoo grinned.

Her best friend turned around to continue walking, but Rose stared at her and their eyes locked. She knew that the brunette felt that there was something wrong as the pools of brown (she would never stop loving) glinted with worry.

"Yeah, what are best friends for," Lisa softly repeated.

Rose opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. Whatever she was about to say, it never came out to the world. Their gazes broke as Jisoo shouted to a group huddled by their cars. Lisa didn't realize that the dirt path had opened into a grassy meadow, and she looked around. Her former college and high school friends were already sitting in a circle with rows of food settled on a clean blanket. One would think that a feast was going to be held. Suddenly, she felt the air squeeze out of her lungs as a someone hugged her tightly.

"Lisa, you're here!"

"Is my presence that expected?" she breathed out, once the hold on her loosened.

"Pabo, of course it is," she chuckled, "Only Heaven knows what you've been doing in that dusty bookstore of yours." Lisa humorlessly laughed. The short brunette grabbed her arm and pulled her into their circle. She didn't fail to notice Rose staring at her weirdly, but when their gazes met, she quickly turned away.  _What's wrong Park Chaeyoung?_

"You're still alive!" a blonde girl grinned, adjusting the cap on her head and pointed at the short girl clutching Lisa's arm, "Jennie can't stop beaming about  _seeing you_  again."

"Who wouldn't be?" Jennie shot her a glare, and the other girl only laughed.

"I'm glad to be here too, Jeongyeon. It's a nice change from the bookstore," Lisa said as she settled on the blanket with Jennie.

"It means a lot that you're here now,  _Limario_ ," a pale girl leaning against a pick-up truck said, "Now we're almost complete."

"Still sticking to that nickname for me, Dahyun?"

The pale girl grinned and shrugged her shoulders, "Never gets old to me."

Jisoo stood and clapped her hands together, "Why don't we get this get-together started?"

"Mina and Chaeyoung texted that they'll will be late," Dahyun said placing her phone back into the pocket of her jacket, "Jeongyeon said that they're settling the last of their stuff in their apartment."

"Honestly, they took a while to finally become a couple, right Nayeon?" Jeongyeon commented, turning to her the girl sitting next to her— who was smiling that showed her bunny teeth.

"Since high school," she said.

"I'll congratulate the two when they get here," Jisoo grinned, wrapping her arms against Rose's waist. Lisa glanced over at Rosé and raised a brow when she noticed that the brunette was staring at her weirdly once more. Rose only gave her a cute smile. Lisa would ask her later.

"So, Lisa," Jennie asked, pulling her attention away from Rosé who was — _frowning? —_ she must've imagined it, "Let's talk about how  _you've_  been doing lately."

She could feel their eyes on her, but Lisa settled to focus on Jennie as she was the one who wanted this conversation. Jennie was smiling her gummy smile and Lisa had found it cute. She always had.

"I'm doing okay, I suppose. Just going around the usual stuff," Lisa shrugged, there wasn't anything exciting in her life. Really.

"Please tell me you still dance," Dahyun pouted cutely, "You were like— the best dancer back in high school."

"I still do," Lisa chuckled.

She still does. In fact, she owned a dance studio right below her apartment. She found the space useless at first because it was empty until she discovered the rows of mirrors when she pulled the dusty black curtains. Lisa took it upon herself to continue dancing as her recreational time while she worked on her bookstore across the street.

"Good to hear that our Limario is still the same as ever," Jeongyeon turned to Dahyun, "What about you and Sana? I haven't heard much from the two of you."

"Oh? I thought you guys already knew?"

"What do you mean?" Nayeon furrowed her brows, confused.

"Sana and I aren't together anymore," Dahyun said as a matter-of-factly. Lisa wasn't surprised though, she knew about it since Momo was one of her friends in her dance classes.

"Yah! How?! When?! Why?! Jeongyeon shouted.

"We suddenly talked about it one day. Sophomore year," Dahyun shrugged, "It was mutual though, the both of us fell out of love. It's fine."

_"What the fu-"_

"Jisoo, language," Rosé lightly slapped the older girl's arm, and the latter sheepishly smiled, mumbling an apology afterwards.  _Some things stay the same._

"Didn't expect that revelation, honestly," Jennie said, she turned to Lisa and tilted her head to the side, "How come you're not surprised?"

"Did you know about this?" Rosé asked, gazing intently. Lisa felt Jennie held on to her arm tightly.

_What is going on?_

Instead, Lisa nodded, "Dahyun's girlfriend and I were in the same dance class. She's from Japan as well."

"You really have a thing for Japanese women, don't you,  _Tofu_?" Jeongyeon chuckled.

"No need to tease, hubby," Nayeon glared at her in which the blonde immediately shut up.

"Thanks, Nayeon-eonnie," Dahyun smiled, "Her name's Hirai Momo."

"I'd like to meet her someday," Nayoen smiled. She always sounded like a mother to the younger girls.

"Maybe soon," she smiled.

The girls continued to catch up with their lives, until Mina and Chaeyoung finally arrived with more baskets of food. They opened cans of cola (since neither one wanted to get drunk) ate the food they brought, laughed and told stories throughout the afternoon. It was a good day, but Lisa still felt the ache in her heart growing heavier by each second.

Jennie suddenly leaned closer to her, and whisper against her ear, "Do you want to go now?"

Lisa sighed. She could see the concern etched across Jennie's face and the Thai knew that the girl won't take no for an answer. She nodded. Jennie smiled softly.

_Only Heaven knows how she's hurting in each second..._

"Hey, guys," Jennie stood up, calling for their attention and everyone has settled their eyes on her, "Lisa and I will get going now. We both have something important to do attend to tomorrow."

"Come on, Jendeukie," Jisoo pouted, "It's the weekend tomorrow. You don't have work in the office."

"I don't, but I have somewhere to be," Jennie said, turning to Lisa and gave a secretive wink, "Lisa has to go somewhere too."

The Thai immediately nodded, "I agreed to help Tzuyu with the preparations before opening her new café."

It was entirely true. Before the couple insisted, Tzuyu had dropped by the bookstore and asked if Lisa could taste the menu for the café that was  _coincidentally_ located a few steps from her shop (in truth, they talked and debated about it). She was glad for the younger girl that she was able to have an excuse.

Her eyes locked with Dahyun, and the latter has a sympathetic smile on her face.  _She knew._ Lisa smiled in return, standing up as well. She heard groans and protests when she did so. Her gaze fell on Rosé— she looked tired, or was she  _sad?_  She doesn't know.

"Say hi to Chewy and Sana for me," Dahyun said, causing the rest of the girls tooking at her— except for Chaeyoung who was enjoying their reactions.

"Me too," the cub added, "Tell Yoda that it's been a while and that we should catch up."

Lisa nodded, "Will do," she turned to Jennie, "Let's go?"

"Luckily, I brought my car with me," She smiled, grabbing on the Thai's wrist and led her to the parked car near the dirt path they took earlier. Lisa swore that she could feel someone's gaze on her back.

 _"Yah! Are you telling me that Our Baby Yoda and Sana are together?"_  she heard Nayeon asked,  _"Why the hell are we the last to know, Jeong?"_

 _"Some 'parents' you guys are,"_  Dahyun snickered.

Lisa took the passenger seat, sighing as Jennie locked both of their seatbelts. The girl's face was closer to hers and Lisa could feel the warm breath tickling her skin. Jennie moved away and Lisa closed her eyes as the car's engine ignited.

"It's been years now, Lisa," Jennie spoke softly, eyes on the dirt road, "Why are you still hurting?"

"I still love her, Jen," she sighed for the nth time, "I've been trying to forget about her, but when I do— her face still lingers in the back of my head."

Jennie hummed, nodding. Silence settled between them as the car emerged to the familiar, yet relieving asphalt road. The ride was smoother compared to the bumpy road a while ago, and Lisa leaned her head on the window.

"We should hang-out more often, Lisa," Jennie suggested, breaking the silence between them, "I miss you."

"Was Jeongyeon right that you've been eager to see me, earlier?"

A smile formed on Jennie's lips and she nodded, "Of course I was."

"Until now, you still like me?"

Jennie glanced at Lisa, the smile still on her face, "I always have."

_And o_ _nly Heaven knows what her fate would be now._

\---  
 _ **A/n: should there be part two?**_

café that was  _coincidentally_ located a few steps from her shop (in truth, they talked and debated about it). She was glad for the younger girl that she was able to have an excuse.

Her eyes locked with Dahyun, and the latter has a sympathetic smile on her face.  _She knew._ Lisa smiled in return, standing up as well. She heard groans and protests when she did so. Her gaze fell on Rosé— she looked tired, or was she  _sad?_  She doesn't know.

"Say hi to Chewy and Sana for me," Dahyun said, causing the rest of the girls tooking at her— except for Chaeyoung who was enjoying their reactions.

"Me too," the cub added, "Tell Yoda that it's been a while and that we should catch up."

Lisa nodded, "Will do," she turned to Jennie, "Let's go?"

"Luckily, I brought my car with me," She smiled, grabbing on the Thai's wrist and led her to the parked car near the dirt path they took earlier. Lisa swore that she could feel someone's gaze on her back.

 _"Yah! Are you telling me that Our Baby Yoda and Sana are together?"_  she heard Nayeon asked,  _"Why the hell are we the last to know, Jeong?"_

 _"Some 'parents' you guys are,"_  Dahyun snickered.

Lisa took the passenger seat, sighing as Jennie locked both of their seatbelts. The girl's face was closer to hers and Lisa could feel the warm breath tickling her skin. Jennie moved away and Lisa closed her eyes as the car's engine ignited.

"It's been years now, Lisa," Jennie spoke softly, eyes on the dirt road, "Why are you still hurting?"

"I still love her, Jen," she sighed for the nth time, "I've been trying to forget about her, but when I do— her face still lingers in the back of my head."

Jennie hummed, nodding. Silence settled between them as the car emerged to the familiar, yet relieving asphalt road. The ride was smoother compared to the bumpy road a while ago, and Lisa leaned her head on the window.

"We should hang-out more often, Lisa," Jennie suggested, breaking the silence between them, "I miss you."

"Was Jeongyeon right that you've been eager to see me, earlier?"

A smile formed on Jennie's lips and she nodded, "Of course I was."

"Until now, you still like me?"

Jennie glanced at Lisa, the smile still on her face, "I always have."

_And o_ _nly Heaven knows what her fate would be now._


	6. Coffee & Blues

**_Sequel to Rosé_ **

\---

  
_"I'm not great, Chaeng."_

The cool breeze passed through the opened windows, bringing along the salty scent of the ocean crashing against the shore, and brushed her bare skin. It was dawn and the bedroom was bathed in ethereal blues. Rosé laid against the white, unruly sheets of her bed, dressed comfortably in her underwear and a large shirt that wasn't hers. She stared at the early birds flying around in the sky.

She recalled a memory of certain brunette in her bedroom. They used to have weekend sleepovers since the girl's family was in Bangkok and she was dressed the same way as herself, the only difference was that her shirt was always much smaller than Rosé's. The brunette would lie on her back and stare outside the window just as how Rosé was currently positioned, watching and listening as the seagulls fly about.

There was nothing special about these mornings for other people to look at, but for Rosé— it meant the world to her.

_"You're a great dancer, Lisa."_

It was their soft conversations before the sun light that made mornings like these special to her. It was the close proximity between their bodies that made it intimate. It was Lisa's warm breath that tickle her cheeks made her feel warm inside. It was those chocolate eyes that made her feel safe and loved. It was her soft, innocent touches on her skin that sent shivers down her spine.

It was Lisa who made her feel as if they were the only ones in this world.

_"If I become one, will you be there by my side?"_

Rosé loved Lisa. But she denied those feelings because she didn't want to lose the precious friendship they had created since the day she accidentally bumped the brunette in the halls. She regretted giving Jisoo her _yes_ when she caught the pain that flashed through Lisa's eyes. It was the dumbest mistake she had ever made, and now she couldn't do anything. _The damage was done._

It had occurred to the red head too late that maybe— _maybe_ — they had a chance. A chance to be Lisa's and hers alone, but the Thai never said anything. Never showed a sign that could have sparked an assurance of a chance.

Rosé was not blind to see that Lisa was hurting, and she has no one to blame but herself. She should have said it first.

_"You already are, but I promise."_

A month has passed since the get-together and Rosé hasn't heard much about the brunette compared to the last time. She heard that Lisa was finally going out and about from her bookstore instead of holing herself all day. And that was it. She heard nothing more.

She was sure that Jennie was finally taking the chance she's been waiting for years, and as selfish as it seems— Rosé doesn't want Lisa to fall for the older girl.

Rosé and Jennie knew each other for the longest time. In fact, they were neighbors back in New Zealand and the girls grew up together. Family friends, you could say. They weren't best friends, but more like sisters in a way.

Jennie has been a playgirl back in their home country, throwing away hearts and making girls cry, before they moved to this quaint, old town.   
Two months after settling in the town, Rosé laughed at Jennie's failed attempts to take a woman to her bed. Slowly, she noticed how Jennie rarely brings home a random girl until she stopped all together. It was a surprise to the red head since she knew that the older girl has an _"abnormally high libido."_

Until she found out that Jennie had fallen head first in love for Lisa Manoban.

It bothered her to the core. Rosé didn't want to seem that she was jealous and she had to endure way Jennie clings herself on the Thai. Lisa _knew_ about it however, which added to Rosè's agitation, but the brunette still chose her over Jennie.

_"I wouldn't have it any other way."_

Rosé stretched her limbs before sitting up on the bed. The sun still hasn't come up yet and the red head didn't feel the need to go out for her jogging ritual. Instead, she took a quick shower. She decided not to cook breakfast today, so she dried her red hair and dressed casually.

Cool breeze brushed her cheeks the moment she stepped out on the porch. She could see the sea of crisp, red and gold leaves gently blown away as it settled on the asphalt road and cobblestone sidewalk. Rosé pulled the collars of her coat closer to her cheeks, reminding herself to buy an extra scarf when she passes a tailoring shop.

She went down the steps of her front porch and went out the gate. As she fished the keys from her pockets to lock the metal gate, she noticed a familiar figure walking in the corner of her eye. It didn't take an intellectual to know who the strong, elegant posture and designer clothes belonged to. Quickly locking the gate and shoving the keys back in their place inside her coat, Rosé turned to see Jennie mindlessly walking to her direction with a faraway gaze and a dreamy smile that Rosè was sure the older girl wasn't aware of.

She knew why.

"Jennie," she called, a small, thin cloud of fog escaped her pinks lips, interrupting whatever daydream the said girl was having.

The older girl's focused snapped back into reality and moved her gaze to the source of the voice, grinning widely at the sight of the red head, "Morning, Chaeng."

 _She seems happy_ , "Good morning to you too, although it feels weird to see you up so early."

Jennie shrugged, but a faint tint of pink appeared on her cheeks caught Rosé's attention, "Thought I should take a walk around this time, you know? I understand the feeling."

 _You mean you understand stand why Lisa wakes up around this time of morning._ Rosé forced a smile across her cheeks, "That's nice. No more waking up later until noon then?"

Jennie shrugged again and pulled out her phone from her pocket to briefly check the time before looking back at the red head, "I have to go now. There's this new café that opened a week ago down the main street beside Lisa's bookshop and it opens around this early."

Rosè raised a brow, "A café?"

Jennie hummed in response, "Remember Tzuyu?"

"Chou Tzuyu?" Jennie nodded. "I'm not particularly close with her, but I think Lisa was. Why do you ask?"

"She owns the café," she said. _Oh_.

"Tzuyu and Sana are dating, yeah?" the red head asked. Last time, Dahyun and Chaeyoung mentioned their names _too casually_ that no one would have dared to think that there must be a meaning behind until Nayeon caught on.

Rosé wasn't even close to Tzuyu but she acknowledges the young girl's presence in college. But has Tzuyu always been there when they were in highschool? She doesn't remember seeing the girl around the campus. Rosé hasn't even seen Lisa with the girl in that time either.

The red head shrugged away her thoughts. She'll ask one of the girls later instead.

"Yeah they are," Jennie said in a matter-of-factly, then she sighed under her breath, "to think that Tzuyu had waited for Sana for years…"

Rosé heard it but she didn't show that she did.

"Anyway," Jennie patted her shoulder, "I'll get going before the sun gets brighter. See yah later, Chaeng."

"Yeah... See yah…" Rosé trailed off as she watched the brunette hurriedly walk away.

She knew that it wasn't her place to pry, but the older girl looked as if she's dressed up for a date and that didn't went unnoticed by the red head. Rosé knew the raven head like the back of her hand. She wouldn't dress in her designer clothes unless—

Mindlessly, Rosé ran to Jennie's faraway figure, "Wait up!"

\---

  
_"Do you think that every thing has its own time?"_

 _Coffee_. It's fragrance gently filled her senses, waking up the bits of leftover sleep in her system, as Jennie opened the doors to the new coffee shop. Rosé was greeted by the sight of a rustic and nautical décor embellished with wooden beams and pillars that support the roof of the two-story shop. Ship models, trinket boxes settled, and tiny spyglasses rested on the shelves; old maps, black and white pictures of sailors, and layouts of various ships were framed up on the wooden walls. Despite the nautical theme, the rustic sight gave a homey feeling that reminded her of Melbourne.

The coffee shop barely had any customers, and Rosé could count the old patrons here and there with both her hands. Some folks were laughing about their shared memories while some were having a quiet moment on their own with their mugs in hand. the place has a peaceful feeling made for individuals to stop and contemplate.

A familiar blonde woman walked up to them wearing black jeans and a vertical striped, navy blue shirt with the sleeves folded up to her elbows. She has a smile across her face and recognition glinted through her eyes. Rosé smiled at the woman.

The woman greeted Jennie before turning to the red head, "It's been a while since we've last seen each other, Rosé," she said arms wide open to hug the newcomer.

"You too, Sana," Rosé said as they pulled away from the hug, "It's my first time to be here and I'm already loving this vintage taste."

Sana chuckled, "Most of it were Tzuyu's idea. She always loved the feel of the town, specifically the harborside by the bay."

"I can see the seafaring influence in here," Rosé commented.

Sana grinned and turned to the tall brunette wearing similar outfit as the blonde behind the counter working on orders, and Rosè knew exactly who it was— considering the loving stare the blonde was giving the oblivious owner of the store as she concentrated on her work. Rosé felt her chest ache, wondering what it would be like if she and Lisa ended up together. _Would it be the same way how Sana looks at Tzuyu behind the counter?_

Tzuyu straightened herself when she finished the final touches of the orders. Rosé noticed how the Taiwanese briefly searched for a staff to deliver the mugs— _or probably her girlfriend_ —before it settled on them. Like Sana, a glint of recognition flashed through her dark eyes.

"It's been a while Rosé. What brings you here?" she asked, a handsome grin settled across her face that reminded Rosé of a certain Thai.

"I came to have breakfast with Jennie," Rosé said.

_"Yes, Lisa. Every thing has their own time."_

"Oh?" her eyes brows shot up, then Tzuyu turned to Jennie, "I thought you and Lisa are having breakfast today, Jennie?"

Rosé felt her heart twist. Her intuition was right. Tzuyu flitted her eyes between the red head and the short raven haired, expressionless. Rosé could feel Jennie fidgeting beside her and she turned to the shorter girl only to see Jennie's hands locked behind her, head facing away from them.

Sana _coughed_ and walked towards her girlfriend. Rosé watched curiously when Sana leaned closer to Tzuyu, whispering something her ears. Tzuyu nodded. Sana kissed her cheek before taking the tray and left.

"Is that why you're early today, Jen?" Rosé asked the older girl.

"I didn't know how to tell you, Chaeng," Jennie sighed, crossing her arms.

"I don't think you were planning to tell me either," Rosé rolled her eyes, "You could have told me that you're seeing her today. "

"There's nothing wrong with having breakfast with her, Rosé," Jennie raised a brow at her.

_Because it's not me, that's what's wrong._

"Still! How long have you been seeing her?"

Jennie furrowed her brows, "Is that even necessary, Chae—"

"Just answer me, Jennie," she hissed and it took the older girl aback.

Jennie frowned, watching the tall red head become desperate. It was out of character. The older girl had always known about her childhood friend's buried feelings.

"Since the get-together. I told you, Rosé," Jennie began. Rosé narrowed her eyes at the older girl, "It'll come back for you worse than it should."

Rosé frowned. Jennie had said those words while they were back in highschool— specifically weeks after Rosé and Jisoo began dating. Jennie had known about her feelings for Lisa. _Jisoo_... The red head pressed her lips in a thin line, she hasn't thought much of the girl nowadays since she left town for a business meeting in the city. Guilt crept it's way under Rosé's skin, but she quickly shrugged it off.

"She's hurting, Rosé, and the last person she wants to see is _you_."

Rosé felt her heart shattering at Jennie's claim. The older girl probably wants to break her so that she could have Lisa all to herself— yeah, maybe that's right. _Right?_

"You still have Jisoo. It's unfair," Jennie continued, shaking her head, "Let go of Lisa and learn to love the person you have, Chaeng."

Rosé went silent. She was knew that she was being jealous but she couldn't help it. She wants to let out every reason there could be on why Jennie shouldn't be with Lisa, but that would be selfish… _she was being selfish._

"I love her, Jennie," she whispered to herself.

"You had the chance years ago," Jennie sighed, "but you didn't take it."

Rosé frustratedly raked her fingers through her red hair. She doesn't know what to feel anymore. Was it regret? Guilt? Jealousy? It could be all of it at once.

Jennie walked towards to Tzuyu and spoke a few words to her, the latter nodded. Rosé watched as the older girl raked her fingers through her hair and sighed.

"I should go now, Chaeng," with that Jennie left further inside the café, leaving the red head staning alone by the entrance.

Rosé stared at the wooden floor. What is she doing? She knew Jennie was right. She still has Jisoo and the guilt crawling up on her was making her feel as if she was cheating. They have been together for years and all this time she was thinking of how Lisa has been doing. Jisoo does the same, although she understood that the Thai has her own personal life to deal with.

It wasn't just the two of them alone in the world afterall.

_"Maybe in another life, the person I love would love me back."_

"Rosé?"

She knew that voice. Rosé turned to see Lisa who had just entered the café and her heart swelled. Lisa hadn't changed a bit. In fact, the years was in the tall girl's favour. Her brunette hair had been dyed into a much lighter and softer shade of brown. Her pink flannel was open, reavealing the white shirt underneath tucked inside her black sweat pants. Round spectacles rested on the bridge of her nose, and Rosé had found it cute.

"I didn't think I'd see you here," Lisa said. Rosé could see the emotions flashing through the Thai's brown eyes, but she doesn't know which one to name.

"I came her with Jennie," she said, "but she didn't tell me she was seeing you."

Lisa nodded, "I guess she didn't think you'd tag along?"

Rosé shrugged her shoulders and nodded, _"How are you?"_

"I'm fine, Chaeng," Lisa smiled, "Much better than the last time."

Rosé furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

Lisa's eyes darted around the café until it settled on somewhere, a dreamy look glinted through them. Rosé doesn't have to turn around and see who the Thai was looking at as her heart was stabbed from behind. Jennie was right, her decision would bite her back.

"I'm finally going to give myself a chance, Rosé," Lisa said, eyes still on Jennie Kim waiting on a booth, "A chance to actually be happy for once."

Rosé nodded, "That's good to know, Lisa," she feels like crying but she didn't show it, "that's good."

Lisa stared at the red head. Rose and Lisa used to know one in the back of their heass, but now they don't. Silence passed between them before a soft smile formed across the Thai's pretty face.

"It's nice to see you again, Rosé," Lisa said, walking towards the red head and gave her a hug. Rosé buried her face on the crook of the latter's head and hugged her tightly— as if it's their last. She felt cold when Lisa pulled away and patted her head as if she were a kid.

"I have to go now, Rosé," Lisa said, "I'll see you around."

Rosé watched Lisa walked further inside— to the table where Jennie sat, waiting. She could see the wide grin and her usual playful gesture when Lisa saw the older girl. It was something the Thai used to do with Rosé, but now things have changed for better or worse.

She felt a weight on her shoulder, and Rosé turned to see Tzuyu with a soft smile on her face. The taller girl held a take-away with both hands— a large coffee and a paper bag that's probably breakfast.

"Sana made you breakfast and I made the coffee," she said. Rosé wasn't close to the girl but she was thankful for her and Sana. Through the windows, the sun had brightened and basked the small town in its golden light. She smiled and accepted the take-away.

"You might not want to stay around. It's only going to hurt you more," Tzuyu said.

Rosé glanced at the Lisa who was grinning at Jennie, enjoying the older girl's company. It hurt to see that she was smiling at someone that's not her. Rosé sighed.

"I guess you're right."

Tzuyu patted her shoulder, "We regret the choices we make and settle for what we thought was best. I don't think saving the friendship between the you and Lisa was a wrong choice, but it could have been more."

Rosé nodded, "Did the same thing happen to you?"

Tzuyu grinned, "In a different scenario, yes it did. I didn't want to lose Sana, but I did when she dated Dahyun. I thought it was all over until one college morning, I indirectly confessed to her."

Rosé was confused, "Indirectly?"

"I was talking to myself about her, and I didn't know that she was right there in front of me," Tzuyu chuckled, "it was embarrassing, really, but I'm glad it happened."

_"Maybe in another life, Lisa. That person is dumb not to love you back."_

Tzuyu squeezed her shoulder, "You should go back home, Rosé. I think you've had enough emotional drama for one morning," with that, Tzuyu went back to work.

Rosé glanced at Lisa one more time. The Thai held a camera close to her face and pointed it at Jennie. The girls were enjoying each other's company, and who was she to take away the small fire between her friends. Rosé walked out of the café.

"I'm also right," she whispered to herself, "the person you used to love was dumb not to love you back, Lisa."

Rosé stopped and looked up at the bright morning sky, "Maybe in another life time, we'd be together. For now, I know that Jennie would love you until the end. I love you Lisa, even if you won't hear it from me. I love you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: (3000+ words | unedited)
> 
> I didn't think I'd end it this way. How are you all doing?


	7. Another Life; Another Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Epilogue to Rosé (Only Heaven Knows) and Coffee & Blues

 

Could there be a time where you remember whatever you did in the past life? Some had claimed that they have seen theirs through a dream one night, glimpses or such, yet they couldn't remember the faces of those around them in that dream. Some, though rare, in a form of a nightmare. It could be a mistake or the consequence of their past choice that lead to a heavy, emotional outcome that was beyond their control.

In the end, no one could remember who they were exactly in their past lives.

 _So, who was I in the life before this one?_  Rosé wondered while sitting on the window sill beside the large window of her home. She leaned back, arms loosely hugging her knees, and stared at the clusters of stars scattered across the dark. The sound of the waves crashing against the snow-covered land became a serene music against her ears. Her grandmother once said that the stars above them were the people who had passed away, ascending to the dark sky and becoming the bright stars that guided the sailors on the sea for generations.

Maybe the  _past Rosé_ was up there amongst many others, guiding her through the choices she will make through her dreams.

Last week, she had dreamed. She was laid against the white sheets of her own bed, staring out of the opened window. The familiar echoes of the seagulls echoed from the distance greeted her along with the waves crashing against the land. The sun hasn't shown itself as the sky was still a deep shade of blue, bathing the cottage bedroom in an ethereal hue of blue.

It was as serene as the atmosphere tonight.

However, there was a girl— a tall brunette— sprawled on the bed beside her. Her head close to her own and she could here the steady breaths coming from the other girl. She didn't know who it was, but she felt like she has seen her before.  _But where?_  Rosé wondered. The girl was foreign, as far as she could remember, and she felt here heart (in the dream) racing against her chest at the thought of the other girl being near her. Rosé knew that the other girl wasn't sleeping, but she kept silent and watched the seagulls fly about until the latter finally spoke.

 _“I'm not great, Chaeng.”_  She said in a hushed voice, not daring to speak louder as if the neighbors would hear her speak. The way this girl spoke her name sent tingles under Rosé's skin and it felt nice.

 _“You're a great dancer, Lisa,”_  Rosé said to the other girl, the name rolling of her tongue like she has spoken it countless of times already.

 _“If I become one,”_  the other girl wondered out loud, staring at her with hopeful eyes. The depth of them caught Rosé off guard and she couldn't look away. She dared not to,  _“Will you be there by my side?”_

Rosé felt herself let out a chuckle, “ _You already are, but I promise.”_

 _“I wouldn't have it any other way,”_  A toothy grin appeared on her face and Rosé could feel her heart fasten its pace even more along with a fluttering feeling inside her stomach. She knew that she wasn't hungry.

Another silence passed between them and they stared outside the window once more, basking in the cool early morning before getting out of bed. She heard Lisa took a deep sigh before she randomly asked.

_“Do you think that everything has its own time?”_

Rosé studied her curiously, wondering what was on the other girl's mind, before saying,  _“Yes, Lisa, everything has their own time.”_  She waited for the brunette to say something, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen at any moment so,  _“Why do you ask?”_

 _“I just think that...”_ Lisa paused and sighed once more,  _“Maybe in another life, the person I love would love me back.”_

Rosé was surprised to hear that the girl beside her had feelings for someone. She felt a twinge of sadness inside her chest and the lump on her throat kept her from asking who it could be. At that moment, she was only there as a friend. No more, no less. The words left her mouth without thinking twice.

_“Maybe in another life, Lisa... That person is dumb not to love you back.”_

Rosé had suspected that maybe that dream last night was a memory of the life she had before. As much as she wanted to make a research out of this experience through a dream, she couldn't tell which point in that life where the dream occurred. It could be the beginning of the consequence from a regretful choice.

The slight cold in the bedroom and terrible exhaustion from work were catching up to her as Rosé suddenly let out a noisy yawn before stretching out her limbs. She chuckled at herself and stood up from the window sill, dragging her feet towards the large bed.  _Maybe I shouldn't overthink this one again._

\----

Rosé sighed in bliss as the warmth, sweet liquid of hot chocolate burned down her welcoming throat, heating up the cold that attached to her the moment she stepped out of the house. It was a humble cottage down the street at the end of the road, by the cliff, that she inherited from her mother whose youngest sister bore the same name as herself.

Roseanne Park, who was also known as Park Chaeyoung as their family was Korean. She never met her aunt as the latter died before she was born. Her mother, Alice, had named her that because she said that when her daughter was born, she looked a lot like her aunt when she first came into the world. Oddly enough, she looked like a carbon copy of her aunt.

Nevertheless, ever since Rosé understood, she felt a sense of duty within herself. Like bringing honor to the name she bears. Although, it seemed ridiculous just by thinking about it. The feeling was still there inside her chest, but she doesn't what it was or what to do.

“Good Lord, please let me figure this out...” Rosé mumbled to herself before turning to the snow-covered street outside the windows of the café. Christmas will be coming over soon and then it will become a new year. Time flies so fast, yet she felt like she hasn't done anything significant in her twenty-one years of living in the town where her aunt used to reside. She sighed.

“What got you looking so down so early in the morning?” A voice asked. Rosé turned to see her friend, the barista, with a raised brow while smiling warmly at her.

Rosé returned the smile, “Hey, Minjoo. You seemed relax.”

“Why wouldn't I be relaxed?” she gestured around the tables and booths that were void of customers, save for the early birds, “Even though it's the holidays, it's not as packed as eight o'clock.”

“You know, I haven't actually taken a good look in this place,” Rosé casually admitted while looking around the  _homey_  interior of the seafaring influenced café, “It's actually pretty nice since it's also near the harbor.”

“After all the days you've been here?” Minjoo scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes, “I swear, you're such a foodie, Roseanne Park. How could you not notice?”

“Come on, it can't be helped when the food tastes heavenly here,” Rosé sheepishly shrugged.

“Unbelievable, Rosé.”

“Anyway~” Rosé tried to change the topic, “You did a good job. The style and decorations are great.”

Minjoo chuckled and shook her head, letting the red head slip this time once again, “You should complement Dad, she was the one who thought about this place, remember? Or did you suddenly hit your head last week because I know that I told you that.”

“I may have been thinking about something a lot recently.”

Minjoo patted the red head's shoulder and said, “I noticed. You've been mumbling a lot the moment you sat there, but I thought that maybe you'll tell me when you're ready.”

“Thanks,” Rosé smiled before asking with a teasing smile, “How are you and Yujin lately? She told me yesterday that she'd be working in this café starting the day before yesterday.”

“Oh, uhm,” a slight blush settled on the other woman's cheek that caused Rosé to raise a questioning brow at the brunette, “We're doing fine. Mom actually told me that the head chef's daughter would be working with us, and I didn't think that it was her, you know.”

A grin plastered on Rosé's lips, “It's a small town, Minjoo.”

“Oh god, please don't, I had enough from the devil herself,” Minjoo groaned, making Rosé laugh in her seat.

The bell chimed and Rosé noticed a tall, blonde woman standing by the door, shrugging the snow of her brown boots on the welcome rug. She was wearing a white turtle neck underneath the thick, green hooded jacket to warm herself from the cold and dark jeans. A white beanie rested on her head and round glasses nestled on the bridge of her nose. She took off her gloves before shoving them in one of her pockets. Her eyes widened as she scanned the inside of the café before walking over to the counter, passing by Rosé's table. She was probably as astonished by the interior.  _Who wouldn't?_

 _She looks strangely familiar,_ Rosé thought.

She noticed that Minjoo had already left her to tend to the newcomer and the red head was left to wonder where she had seen the blonde before. She was sure that she had  _never_  seen her around. Rosé was one of the friendliest in town, volunteering in community events and such, and most people already knew her by name (as Alice's daughter of course) and she knew nearly everyone. It's not exactly hard to know everyone when you work at the vet because everyone in this town has at least one pet.

But how come this woman unfamiliar, yet not at the same time?  _Maybe she just moved in,_ Rosé thought.

However, the town has about two hundred and fifty-three (253) inhabitants. It's a small town alright. So, it's a  _big_  deal when someone new moves in. She'll know about it weeks before like the rest of the townspeople. Ravenswood itself was old, and quite mystical in its own way, but it used to inhabit about twenty families centuries ago until the mysterious, wealthy man came. Since then the town has been experiencing strange happenings that could only be describe as magical by the people and the population, though slow, grew—

“Okay, Rosé, I think that's about enough town history for a few seconds,” Rosé muttered to herself and sighed. She was surely drawn to this place the first time she heard about her aunt and had been wanting to move here growing up. Her mother allowed her to move from Melbourne for high school since her dream college was at the next city a bit farther from here. She liked taking the early morning bus to the city only because she had more time to herself. Rosé was a scholarly person who graduated with a medical degree... on animals. The town already has Dr. Jennie Kim and Dr. Park Jihyo as the best doctors working at the small medical hospital.

“Hello,” a voice startled her from her thoughts down memory lane, and probably somewhere else, and Rosé quickly turned to the source. She was surprised to see the blonde newcomer standing beside the table. She felt the weird sense of familiarity from the blonde woman once again, but this time it was joined by a fluttering feeling inside her stomach and the quick pacing of her heart. With the blonde closer, she could see the features that were foreign to her yet acquainted at the same time. Her eyes were brown against the cool light from the windows, her cheek was puffed from the warm smile that had formed on her plump lips, scrunching her nose a bit and the round glasses dipped to the tip of her nose.  _Cute._

The blonde extended an arm towards the red head, “I'm Lalisa Manoban.”

“Oh— uh—uhm,” she stuttered before nervously shaking her hand, “Roseanne Park. But just call me Rosé for short.”

“You have a pretty name,” Lalisa grinned, “And it's nice to meet you. I'd tell you to just call me Lisa, but that's what everyone used to call my mom.”

Rosé chuckled, “It's nice to meet you too.”

“Is it okay if I join you?” Lalisa asked and Rosé simply nodded, gesturing her to take the seat across her.

“So, what brought you to this table?” Rosé asked when the blonde had finally settled on the seat, setting her small cup of coffee on the wooden table.

Lalisa sheepishly shrugged and scratched the back of her head, “I kinda need some help getting to know this place and you seem like a kind person.”

“Really?” Rosé raised a brow, a bit unconvinced.

Lalisa smiled shyly, “Actually, the lady behind the counter told me that you could help me when I asked if there's anyone who could help me.”

Rosé glanced at Minjoo and found a teasing smile on the brunette's face.  _Oh God, it's happening again._  Her friend had once set her up with a young waiter from the Rockets Diner named Jimin, but it didn't end well. Except that they exchanged numbers and became friends instead. Who knew that being gay would be the one thing they had in common.

“She and I are friends,” Lalisa nodded, “But how did you know about this place? Usually, people would get excited when there's someone new moving in town.”

“Oh, uhm, I was born here before I went to Thailand and live with my grandparents,” Lalisa sighed, “I know that you'll ask me why my parents can't help me, but my mom passed away a couple of years ago and Mama is a fulltime surgeon. They're very busy.”

Rosé smiled sympathetically, “I'm sorry to hear that, but I can help you if you want. Lots of things can change here after a few years, you know. Even though the population growth is slow.”

Lalisa chuckled, “I totally get you. I was surprised that there was a diner and a gym near town square.”

“Yeah, you definitely need to catch up with Ravenswood,” Rosé joked, drinking the last contents of her hot chocolate that was lukewarm by now. Silence settled between them as the two enjoy the comforting atmosphere. Their past lives must have done something for this to happen, but no one honestly knows.

“Can I say something crazy?” Lalisa suddenly asked, her brown eyes stared at the red head hopefully, “If you don't mind.”

“Go ahead.”

Lalisa took a deep breath, “You seem familiar to me, yet I haven't even met you. It's strange— I know— and it's probably just me... but it's like I've seen you from somewhere before even though I haven't. I mean, I literally just met you today and this feeling is so weird. I feel weird inside my stomach, like there's some butterflies in it, and then— Uhm, I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable,” she stopped when she noticed Rosé staring at her, surprised.

Rosé, for the love of her, was shocked to hear the words she had felt coming from the blonde and she was sure now that it had something to do with the vivid dream last week. She didn't want to jump right into conclusions when Lalisa first introduced herself, but now it seemed that the fog cleared a bit for her to see. Is this one of the mystical things that some of the seniors were talking about while playing chess in the library?

Rosé shook her head, “Uhm, no, you didn't.”

“Are you sure?” Lalisa asked and Rosé nodded. A brief silence settled between them before Rosé cleared her throat.

“You know, the feeling's mutual,” Rosé said, and it was Lalisa's turn to be surprised. The red head explained her side from the dream she had last week to their situation today, and the blonde had been listening intently much to Rosé's joy. No one wanted to hear some impossible, especially from a romantic person as herself, and would usually brush it off as coincidence or people having seen each other strangers while walking down the sidewalk. It was even more surprising when Lalisa had the same dream last week that prompted her to come back here.

“Wow...” Lalisa let out a low whistle, “I didn't think something like this happened. It's unrealistic but...”

“I know right,” Rosé blinked out the remains of the processed information in her head, “What did our past lives do for this to happen?”

“I don't know,” Lalisa said as she downed the last contents of her coffee, “But I don't think I'll be regretting anytime soon,” she suddenly stood up and grinned, “Help me re-explore Ravenswood? We have the whole day unless you'll be busy later.”

“My boss actually told me that I deserve the vacation so,” Rosé grinned before standing beside the blonde, “I don't mind walking through town.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n:
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone. I know this one was a year late and I've been slowly trying my best to get through the writer's block. I've also been thinking of opening a prompt request, but I'm not so sure yet. Things will get bloody busy in school.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this update, even though it didn't go well than I had hoped. But please let me know what you guys think, it'll mean a lot to me. Oh, and this one was kind of a cure from the last one shot :3
> 
> Have a great new year, loves~


	8. Dark Room

_Inspired and based from the farming simulator game_ _Stardew_ _Valley_

_(Haley's Ten-Heart Cutscene)_   
_\---_

 

Some people say that _curiosity killed the cat._ It simply translates that there are things that should be left undiscovered; things that it should never be touched no matter how caught up or sleepless you'd become because of it. It could also be a riddled statement to warn others to stay away to preserve their innocence...

Unless they want their _innocence_ to die.

She sprawled across her bed, blankly staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, and huffed. Roseanne Park couldn't stop herself in wondering about the locked door in Lisa's bedroom. She didn't exactly believe in such phrase, knowing that _certain_ _exposures_ can grant you survival through life. (At least, that was what her Godmother would say to her.)

There's nothing for her to make a big deal about that locked door, but it kept bugging her knowing that even Jisoo and Jennie never knew what's behind it. _She's the best friend!_

Rosé rolled on her tummy and buried her face on her fluffy pillow. She groaned, "Damn that door," She then turned her head to the side, her cheek squished against the pillow while facing the opened window.

The curtains were drawn back, allowing the golden rays of the sun to stain the wooden floor while brightening the bedroom with the natural light. Pink tulips peaked at the corner of the window, swaying against the morning breeze that also passed through her opened window. She closed her eyes and sighed when she felt the wind brush gently against her cheeks.

The locked door never escaped her mind, no matter what she did to forget about it. It should never had bothered her at all. Yet, nothing could help her now when Lisa was secretive about it every time she would ask. The blonde would always- _always-_ say that it's just a storage room for her extra things.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking about this," She mumbled, trying to convince herself. She needed a distraction right about now.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._ She turned to the door and call for the person outside to come. The bedroom door opened, and her short, raven-haired cousin popped her head through with a teasing grin on her face.

Jisoo raised a brow at her, "Thinking about that secret room?"

"How'd you know that?" She furrowed her brows at the older woman.

Her cousin rolled her eyes as she widened the door, she was dressed in her usual jumpers- ready for work in the farm, "You're obviously sulking because _your lover_ won't let you know what's behind that _oh-so-mysterious_ door. It's been weeks since you've been doing that, cousin."

"You're annoying, Jisoo-eonnie. Please go away and never come back," Rosé buried her face on her pillow once more, annoyed by her cousin's presence. It was silent between them when the Jisoo's words finally sunk into her head. She bolted upright with a blush dusting on her cheeks, "Yah! She's _not_ my lover!"

"Yeah and I don't love chicken," Jisoo scoffed. She took a white envelope her pocket and handed out to Rosé, "I checked the mail today and it seemed that your girlfriend sent you another letter."

"For the last time," Rosé pouted before taking the letter from the older woman's hand, "She is _not_ my girlfriend."

Jisoo raised her a brow challengingly, the teasing grin still plastered on her face, "But she's a girl and a friend. So technically, Lisa is your girlfriend."

"Why are you my cousin?" She deadpanned.

"Come on, this farm isn't going to live without my help," Jisoo chuckled when Rosé groaned in defeat, "I'll be picking apples today, would you help me out? I don't want to use the ladder."

Rosé furrowed her brows, "Why don't you ask Jennie-eonnie to help you?"

"Have you seen the two of us, Chaeng? Do you think that we can reach those precious fruits?" Jisoo asked like she had missed the world's most important fact, calling her by her Korean name, "Also it's her turn milking the cows at the barn today."

"Even with the ladder?" Rosé smirked when the older woman rolled her eyes. They were even now, "You just want me to do all the picking while you sit under the shade."

"Just come out after you read that love letter," Jisoo shut the door after leaving a wink towards at her, avoiding the useless comebacks she could possibly utter.

Rosé shook her head at Jisoo's antics. The older of the Kims would never stop teasing her with anything regarding Lisa. It all started when she wanted to _try_ and hang-out with the blonde as much as she can whenever they meet in town, with the thought of befriending her and the rest of the community. She and Lisa became close friends after a _very_ long while since she had to spend most of her time working in the farm with her cousins.

At first, she knew that Lisa hated getting dirty or the mere scent of grass when too close. But that had surprisingly changed when the blonde blurted out the she was liking the scent of grass and joked that maybe she's been hanging out with Rosé a lot.

It was also a surprise when Lisa didn't complain about getting the mud all over when she fell on the ground while helping Dahyun and Momo at the ranch located south from the farm, by the forest, while taking pictures of the cows. Lisa had even begun to initiate their hang-outs whenever Rosé was free and showed how much she loved photography.

It doesn't take a genius to know that Roseanne Park had caught the _love infection_ along the way.

Rosé stared at the letter in her hands for a moment. It wasn't the first she had received one from the blonde, yet it still made her heart beat faster whenever she did. She opened the envelope and read the letter inside.

 

_Dear Chaeng,_

_Good morning! Have you eaten breakfast already? Knowing you, you don't want to miss a chance to fill your tummy._ _Come over at my house when you're free today. I want to show you something cool._

_-Lisa_

 

She smiled at the invitation before folding the paper and placed it inside the bottom drawer of the bedside table with the rest of the blonde's letters.

\---

It was near lunch time when Rosé arrived in front the house Lisa shares with her housemate. She had to endure a lot of teasing while helping Jisoo pick apples from the orchard and she may have purposely dropped an apple on her eonnie's head more than once. She'll have to ask Jennie-eonnie about building a stable and buy three horses for them so travelling back and forth to the town would be easier. (Their old truck still needed a lot of repairs)

She was walking towards the front door when it opened, and a taller, tanned brunette stepped outside wearing her usual green flannel with her hair up in a ponytail. It was Chou Tzuyu, Lisa's childhood friend.

"Hi Rosé," Tzuyu greeted with a dimpled smile when she noticed Rosé and the red head returned the greeting, "Lisa's inside her room if you're here for her."

Rosé smiled, "She told me she wanted to show me something. Are you off to work already?" Tzuyu shook her head.

"I volunteered to help with the restoration of the old town community center with Jihyo-eonnie and the others," Tzuyu grinned, excited about the labor she'll be doing for the small town, "I'll see you around."

"You as well and say hi to Sana for me," Rosé bid the younger woman goodbye, patting Tzuyu's shoulder, before entering the house. It wasn't a surprised when the house was quite big- too big for two people- but it doesn't come as a surprise since both Tzuyu and Lisa came from wealthy backgrounds with their parents living abroad

Rosé made her way towards the blonde's bedroom with ease as she has been here before countless of times and found the door unlocked as usual. Lisa never left her door locked unless she was about to go to bed. She stepped inside the bedroom with an excited grin... only for it to fade.

The light passing through the opened windows was enough to brighten the room and motes of dust danced through the sunlight the stained the wooden floor. It wasn't as decorated as most would think from a rich girl, but the desk was cluttered with what seemed to be small tools that were used for the cameras that were neatly arranged inside a shelf with a few lenses. A tall tripod stood beside the desk. Rosé looked around the room, but it was void of the blonde's presence.

"Huh," Rosé wondered, "Tzuyu said she's in here."

She noticed the one side of the wall that was decorated with fairy lights and printed photos clipped on them. Rosé remembered Lisa saying that she places the most beautiful and memorable captures on this side of the left side of the wall near her bed because she loved staring at them a lot. Most of the photos were the nature and landscapes that surrounded the small town; her cats, Leo and Luca; some pictures of she and her friends hiking or camping out in the forest. To her own surprise, one line of the wall was pictures of herself that she hadn't known Lisa had taken.

Rosé blushed at the thought that Lisa had found her beautiful enough to be placed on her wall of photos. She finally realized why the blonde always has her camera around her whenever they hung-out. She tore her gaze from the photos and landed on the wooden door she had been curious about for weeks. On the other side of the bed, opposite to the wall, was the locked room Lisa had once claimed to be for storage.

"We meet again," Rosé said bitterly under her breath as though it had done something wrong to her in the past. She heard a muffled shuffling from behind the door and the realization that Lisa must be inside came to her. She made her way to the other side of the bed and knocked.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._ A brief silence passed before she heard another set of feet shuffling on the other side before a muffled voice called out.

"Come inside and close the door quickly behind you," She heard Lisa say and the unmistakable _click_ of the lock opening.

Rosé opened the door just enough for her to slip inside and quickly shut it behind her. She was greeted with a red light and she had to blink her eyes to adjust to the sudden change of color. She noticed the familiar figure of her best friend standing near the corner beside the light switch, working on something on the desk that Rosé couldn't make out.

"Oh, Rosé," Lisa smiled, "I've been waiting for you. I thought that maybe you were working at the farm this morning."

Rosé smiled, carefully making her way towards the blonde, "Yeah, I helped Jisoo-eonnie pick apples from the orchard a while ago," then she gestured around the room asked, "What's all this?"

"Welcome to my very own dark room!" Lisa grinned with her arms stretched open in the air.

Rosé glanced around the dark room. There were photos clipped above her, hanging on by a wire, and trays were lined on the table. It was still bare and new.

"It looks great, Lisa," She smiled at her best friend who grinned happily, "How long have you worked on this?"

"Almost a year now. It was storage room before I thought of this idea," Lisa shrugged, scratching the back of her neck, "I had help from Chaeyoung and Mina. Everything had to be everything perfect so that the pictures would come out well."

Rosé took in the room once more. It was great to see Lisa's passion with photography. She knew that Lisa was willing to try things that could help her improve in her hobby. She felt the blonde stand close to her and she internally berated her heart for racing at the close proximity her best friend had initiated.

Lisa cleared her throat, "So... Uhm... What do you want to do?"

The red light did nothing to save her as their gazes met- she could hear her heart pounding against her chest. Lisa's intense gaze held her frozen on her spot, her breath hitched, unable to move like a kidnapper had tied her up securely against a post; like someone tossed her down the middle of the lake in the forest, yet she didn't want to swim back to the surface. She wanted to reach the depths of the dark abyss that were Lisa's eyes with no one stopping her. Her gaze went down to Lisa's plump lips and she knew, at that moment, what she wanted to do as all precaution were thrown out the window.

"I want to kiss you..." Rosé said breathlessly and realized that she has been holding her breath for a while now. Lisa cupped her face, caressing her Rosé's cheeks with smile plastered on her lips.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted for you to say that," She said, leaning her head closer until their foreheads touched.

Rosé closed her eyes when she felt Lisa brushing her thumb against the corner of her lips. The blonde's warm breath tickled her cheeks and she could feel her little heart pounding against her ears with anticipation. She was sure Lisa could hear its fast pace in the silence of the room.

No matter how long she had thought of capturing the her lips, or preparing herself in her mind for an honest confession- emotionally, there was nothing that could keep her from the surprise of Lisa's lips _finally_ against her own and her knees felt weak. It was warm and soft like she had imagined, but the feeling of it was beyond compare to her dreams.

There were no fireworks or butterflies fluttering around inside her as the others would describe a kiss. Instead, there was warmth she knew she couldn't get from anyone else other than Lisa and there was the agonizing feeling of vulnerability. It was like taking a risk to explore an unknown territory where one could die without knowing what's out there; without anyone to hold you close through the dangers of the wilderness. But Lisa was holding her waist, pulling her close against her own body, keeping her safe from falling into a dark abyss.

Yet, there was also a tender feeling. A softness Rosé couldn't quite described. It felt like it's always been there like the morning glories she found in the garden one morning, their bright blue and purple petals covered with dew. It was there, like it always has been with.

When Lisa pulled away, she felt the air from her lungs went along with her. Rosé opened her eyes and her gaze was met with Lisa's own.

Somehow, her arms had managed to wrap itself around Lisa's broad shoulders but she didn't mind, especially when Lisa's own arms were holding her by the waist like this. She took a deep breath before a grin broke from her face and a shy giggle escaped her lips. Lisa followed along, laughing with mirth.

She doesn't quite understand why she felt so happy. It's just Lisa, but then again, the blonde was the only one who made her feel this way.

"You know..." Lisa began when their shared laughter began to die down, "I've always loved you. It'll be a lie if I said that I felt this way when I first saw you, but I think it happend along the way we got to know each other completely from being friends."

Rosé pulled Lisa closer and rested her head against the crook of her neck, the subtle scent of the blonde's favorite perfume greeted her, and she said, "I love you too."

"May I kiss you again?" Lisa asked, eliciting another giggle from the red head.

"Of course," she smiled, pulling away from the hug.

Lisa grinned, "Let me turn off the lights," that was what she said before the room went dark and Rosé felt Lisa capturing her lips once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: it's been too long. How are you all?


	9. Assassins (ft. Jensoo)

It was mid-autumn and the starry evening was cold enough to wrap up in thick coats and sweaters, but it didn’t stop people from enjoying the darkest time of the day. The streets glowed with red, purple and blue neon lights that fed the wandering souls with anxious sentiments; party goers come and go, either drunk or sober, as the silence outside the bars that lined up the district brimmed with inaudible chatters, muffled music and passing cars. The atmosphere, itself, excited the angsty youths, and like any other big cities—everything was ordinary.

_With another ordinary target._

Smoke passed through her plump lips as she took a long drag from her cigarette before flicking the tobacco stick to the ground and stomped on it with her boot. It was unsurprising to receive another file concerning her next target from her boss two nights ago because ever since they’ve been hired by them last month, their boss’s enemies became paranoid and under pressure much to their delight. The boss would usually pay her and her partner large sums of money for the bounties, but she doesn’t take it… unless they insist (which was what they always do) and they won’t hear from them until another target comes.

Which was how Lisa found herself languidly perched on top of a building, waiting like a tired, angst-ridden teenager having the most boring night of her life. At least, that’s how she looked to the bystander’s eyes.  Her senses are at the top of their peaks and her eyes carefully watch her target through the walls of the building across her, glancing now and then for any guards surrounding him.

The target was casually pacing back and forth inside an apartment, two floors above the busy clubs and bars downstairs to recharge from people, with a glass in his hands. He chugged the contents in the glass with one motion, before slamming it on the table next to a bronze bottle of—

She scoffed, _Whiskey._

Even from a building across the street, Lisa could see the details clearly. His dark hair was unkempt and dark circled were visible under his eyes; the collar of his untucked-shirt was open, and a loose navy necktie hung around his neck. In conclusion, the man was anxious. She smirked, pulling her hood over her head and masked her face.

 _Now what mess has he gotten himself into this time that’s enough for her bosses to place a bounty on his head?_ She’d find out soon enough, pulling a finger up to her ear, activating the small device.

“I’ve spotted the target and he look stressed,’ she said, waiting for a moment before a voice came through her earpiece.

 _“He knows he pissed off our boss,”_  the other line responded,  _“Which route are you going to take, Limario? The place is heavily guarded, even at the back. Most entrance routes are regularly passed.”_

“It’s not the first time we’ve infiltrated something like this, 4D,” she eyed the guards walking routinely in the hallways from her position. Snipers were perched on the roof, two levels high from her vantage point, and there were men carrying assault rifles by the balconies. There were more guarding the doors and windows at the front of the building

“I've been thinking of going stealthy,” she said, scanning the route she was about to take. Although her partner would call her reckless, which was hypocritical since  _they’re both_  reckless, she takes pride on being calculated.

 _“As much as I’d like to barge in and get the job done quick, let’s take the guards out one by one,”_ her partner said,  _“I’ll take out the snipers surrounding the perimeter of the garden and avoid triggering those goons with assaults.”_

“Then you’ll go into their security system, and hack the servers for the cameras, yes?” She asked.

The other line chuckled,  _“I have a better plan than going into the server room, that’s too risky. It’s as guarded as the outside. So, I made a device that would hack the system in no time. I’ll just have to let the little bug sneak into the mother board and voila~”_

“Jisoo,” Lisa sighed, “That still meant entering the server room.”

 _“Don’t worry, Lisa. I still have lots of toys in my sleeves and these were tested recently,”_ her partner said, _“I’m going down now and by ten minutes you should be hauling guards down to their graves,”_ the line went off.

She’s not going to lie; she trusts her partner and she knew that it was going to be a fun evening. Lisa stretched her lithe figure and jumped down into the dark alley.

\--

 _“I deserve a bucket of chicken after this,”_ her partner stated in the intercom and Lisa chuckled, brushing off the non-existent dust from her suit on her shoulders and pants.

She turned to the black canvas scattered with motes of stars and smirked behind her mask. She prefers hunting in the darkness rather than being exposed in the morning, even though she and her partner could still get away. Lisa walked through the alley until she found a manhole. She bent down and slid her fingers through the opening slots, glancing back around her to make sure she’s alone and that no cameras were in sight, before she pulled the heavy lid with ease.

Lisa went down the ladder, pulling the lid close as she did, and dropped down. She gracefully landed inside the sewers, creating a little ripple in the murky water. It didn’t take long for her to navigate through the tunnels as the building was simply on the other side of the street and she was already up the ladder, ready to push the lid that opened to the backstreet—right beside the guarded building.

 _“Camera’s surrounding your perimeter are disabled,”_ she heard her partner say, and Lisa took the cue.

She pushed the lid open and pulled herself out back into the surface; the muffled beats of the clubs and bars were loud against her ears. She gazed at the wall in front of her. It was an old building made of bricks and stones.

“Easy,” she smirked.

The building was guarded on the front and the back, and rarely anyone would take the route on the side next to another alley.  _Which should be guarded as well, and it was dumb on their part,_ she thought.

Using her dark suit and the shadows as an advantage, she quickly scaled the building without breaking a sweat. Loud, heavy footsteps reached her ears as she was about the swing her body through the window and pressed against herself against the bricked wall, under the protruding windowsill. Lisa sucked in her breath when the guard stopped right by the window where she was and blended herself in the darkness as much as she could. She heard the guard shuffle his feet, but never moved.

Cautiously, she pushed herself from the wall and peeked through the window—only to see the guard’s back facing her. _They’re relaxed,_ she thought.

Fishing a small knife from her hidden pockets, she surged her lithe body upward, stabbed the guard’s nape, and used her momentum to drag the muscular body out the window, falling two stories to the ground with a faint thud. She quickly swung her body through the window and entered the building.

 _“I saw that,”_ Jisoo said.

“Idiot, right?” Lisa shook her head and hunched against the hallway, blending in the dark once more. There were guards on the ground, laid lifeless on their own pool of blood, and Lisa was certain that it was her partner’s work on the way to the server room.

_“There are two guards on the next hallway to your left, you can sneak up from behind.”_

Lisa nodded her head, unsheathing the blades hidden inside her leather gauntlets under her wrists—a tech that Jisoo made based from a video game—and stealthily walked behind the guards. She stood up and stabbed the men through their necks and continued walking as if nothing happened. The guards dropped to the ground.

“Jisoo, do you know which room—” she immediately stopped herself and pressed her body against the walls once more. The hallway she was in was headed toward the front of the building. There was a lone guard walking to the end of the hall, passing by four groups of men—two guarding a door, and two guarding on each window—before turning around, and Lisa quickly hid against the corner. It was safe to assume that guard would pass by and see his fallen brothers from where she was. She planned to grab him immediately before the others would notice.

_“You’re actually there, Lisa.”_

“No shit, Watson,” she cursed under her breath.

_“I could cut the circuits, turn the place dark, and you could take those goons out.”_

Lisa shook her head, “Don’t. Our target would be alerted, and reinforcements would gun us down. The man had enough alcohol to call security and run for his life.”

 _“Point taken, but at this rate... I should get out the server room now. Everything’s hacked anyway and I was just enjoying my time watching you look like an idiot,”_  Jisoo chuckled.

“Just get your ass here already,” Lisa hissed, and prepared her plan when she heard the loud thuds of the guard’s heavy boots.

As expected, the guard passed, and his eyes went wide at his dead comrades on the middle of the hallway. He was about was about to alert the ones guarding the door when a bade plunged deep in his neck, and Lisa pulled his limp body to her side. The guards were still unaware of their friend’s fate.

_“That was risky, dude. They’re dumb enough to notice that their comrade isn’t with them anymore.”_

“I know,” she could feel the ends of her nerves tingling and the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She smirked.

 

**_Jisoo_ **

“I really want that bucket of chicken right now,” she mumbled as she leaned back on the swivel chair, stretching her arms and back. The monitors before her displayed the area from the surveillance cameras and Jisoo smirked behind her mask when she saw Lisa killing a guard with the hidden blades (she was proud to recreate.)

“Seriously, these mechanics are sweet,” she muttered as the guy dropped dead on Lisa’s side, absentmindedly caressing her own leather gauntlet. She turned the chair around to the sight of three men lying unconscious with their necks bleeding like waterfalls. Jisoo’s eyes glinted then she turned back to the monitor.

 _“I could use your help about now,”_ Lisa hissed through the intercom. _Aish, that girl can’t wait._

“Don’t worry. Jisoo is coming for your helpless ass,” she teased and stood up from the chair, fishing a small spherical device from her pocket, leaving it on top of the computer. She lightly tapped on it and the device illuminated a blue color, transforming into a tiny robotic ladybug. Jisoo grinned as the tiny device crawled into the server’s mother board and began wrecking the database it was programmed to find (of course, after gathering it when she arrived.)

“I’m such a badass genius,” she patted her own shoulder and went out of the server room. She headed towards the location where her partner was and, soon enough, she found her idiot of a best friend casually leaning against the windowsill that faced the once-guarded door; the men were dead on the floor around her feet. Jisoo pouted, “I missed the action?”

“You move slow,” Lisa said and gestured towards the door, “The honor is yours.”

Jisoo smirked and kicked the door down, crashing on the ground. At least it was open now. Both masked assassins haughtily walked through the door, arms across their chests as they faced the lone man inside the room. He was pointing a handgun at them, clutching at the small weapon with trembling hands. It was clear to them that there were beads of sweat dripping down his forehead as the target sweat profusely. He was terrified.

 _Lisa was right,_ Jisoo thought, _He’s drunk._ “Don’t you look so pitiful now…” Jisoo teased.

His entire frame was also shaking, “S-stay back, or I-I'll shoot!” He stuttered., a smirk hidden behind her mask.

“Mr. Im,” Lisa called, her voice was low and threatening, “You know why we’re here.”

“I-I’ll give you what-whatever you two want!” he stuttered again, “N-name it!” He was desperate.

Jisoo tilted her head to the side, “We don’t want anything, Mr. Im, considering that you can’t give back anything to our boss.”

“As an obvious choice, he sent us for you,” Lisa drawled, but the older woman was sure her partner was grinning behind the mask. The target was a pussy and they were having fun.

Both took a step forward and the man stepped back, clearly intimidating him. Jisoo was completely grinning, “Any last words, Mr. Im?”

“Fuck you all!” He pulled the trigger, but the professional assassins effortlessly dodged every bullet he waisted in his clip. Jisoo threw a knife and it plunged through his hand. The man screamed in pain and dropped the gun as he staggered back.

Lisa took the opportunity to kick the man to the ground, taking the gun from her utility belt and pointed it on his head. She let out a disappointed _tsk_ and mocked, “Our previous targets area lot more fun than this.”

Before she could pull the final trigger, the lights went out and Jisoo heard Lisa grunt as the latter crashed against the tables. She then felt a heavy blow on her stomach as someone grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground. She groaned.

****

**_Lisa_ **

_What the goddamn fuck was that?_ She groaned, taking in her surroundings through the dark. The city lights illuminating through the windows barely illuminated the dark room, but she immediately rolled to the side as a large mass jumped on her. It landed with a thud and Lisa threw a kick; the person staggered back.

It— _she—_ groaned. Lisa realized.

She heard Jisoo grunting while avoiding blows as well. Lisa cursed at there sudden predicament, but adrenaline rushed dangerously through her veins. The mission turned out to be fun after all. Lisa grinned manically and stood up.

“And here I thought things are fucking boring,” She growled, deflecting the punches from the other woman who happened to stand as tall as her. Jisoo laughed at the other side of the room.

A punch landed on her face and she staggered back. The other woman uttered cockily, “Better watch your tongue, _Limario._ ” She knew her callsign, “You and 4D won’t be killing tonight.” Scratch that, she knew their callsigns.

 _Interesting._ Lisa grinned, “And we’re going to have so much fun, beautiful.” A punch was sent to her face, but the blonde dodged it and with an elbow to the _enemy_ assassin’s stomach before squaring a punch to her jaw. She staggered and Lisa took a few steps back, “So much fun indeed.”

She heard the enemy bellowed in anger, likely having enough hearing the blonde talk. It simply fueled Lisa. A crash came from the other side and she quickly glanced to see Jisoo had thrown her own opponent on the floor. She also hiding under a sturdy table.

 _Idiot._ Lisa dodged when her own rival charged forward and kicked her on leg, sending her down on the ground. But she rolled away when Lisa gave another blow, sending her own kick straight to her face. Her vision turned white for a moment as she staggered back, enough for the rival to throw her down to the ground.

Another punch landed on her face and Lisa could definitely feel the blood oozing from her torn skin under the mask. _Oh no, you don’t._ Lisa grabbed the latter’s arms as her rival sent another punch.

“Limario!” Her partner called, reminding her of their mission.

Lisa grunted, “I’m a bit busy, 4D!” She managed to throw a hard punch on her opponent and threw off, “As much as I enjoyed the intimacy, we have a job to finish.”

It happened so quick that even Lisa knew their opponents couldn’t comprehend fast enough. Her gaze had immediately locked on Mr. Im crawling towards the door and quickly took out her _spare_ handgun, aimed precisely on the head, and pulled the trigger _twice._ She never hesitated a single second.

If Jisoo was great in strength and tech-savvy intelligence; she matched her partner with speed and accuracy.

“NO!” Jisoo’s opponent screamed before turning to Jisoo with new-found anger. Jisoo merely laughed, dodging the other woman’s emotion induced punches. Lisa heard her own rival first before dodging her rival once more and threw another punch.

This time, it knocked her out.

“Let’s get out of here,” Lisa said as she watched Jisoo throw a vase towards her enemy’s head, knocking her rival out like her partner.

Renewed adrenaline rushed through her veins once more as the two dark assassins rushed to the nearest escape route and jumped out the window with laughter escaping their lips. Fear has long since gone as they landed on the ground without consequence and disappeared back into the shadows without a single trace. The two could have blended with the crowd walking in the streets, but no one seemed to have noticed.

\--

Lisa and Jisoo sat outside in one of the tables at their favorite café, across the street from their apartment. She took a sip from her refreshing iced coffee as Jisoo stretched her back (she had been complaining for two days about how the other assassin had thrown her on the floor martial artist) and groaned. The entrance door chimed, and a familiar face greeted them, their hands inside the pockets of their coats.

“How was your night out?” She casually asked, even though she didn’t need to, “I heard that it was rough.” She sat down on the empty chair between them. Lisa knew that their friend and _co-worker_ wouldn’t stay with them and hang-out.

“You have no idea,” Jisoo grinned, “We managed to attract some babes, but I pride myself in being loyal to my girlfriend.”

Their friend chuckled, fishing her hands out from her pockets and sneakily passed the small packages to the assassins. She leaned back on her chair, “You two better take it now while it’s still warm. Those nano bots won’t heal you when the package’s cold.”

“Thanks, Mina,” Lisa smiled, removing the thick needle from the package and stabbed in her forearm. She felt the warmth from the nanotech course through her bloodstream, healing the bruises and cuts all over her body in a matter of minutes.

Jihyo patted her friend’s shoulder, “You and Jihyo are the best,” she said, stretching her back again and heaved out a relieved sigh when she didn’t feel the pain.

“Always glad to help the company’s best,” Mina smiled and stood up from her seat, “I should really get going now. I promised that I would bring the _rookies_ to their stations.”

“It’s nice to hear the new recruits finally getting some action,” Lisa grinned, “We’ll see you back at work.”

Just as Mina was about to leave, Jisoo beamed and immediately bolted from her seat, stumbling in the process, as she ran passed the Japanese woman to the two newcomers who had just arrived at the café. Lisa and Mina shook their heads.

“Hi, babe. I’m sorry we’re late,” Lisa’s girlfriend, Park Chaeyoung, walked to her side and leaned down to kiss the blonde’s forehead,” She noticed Mina and greeted the woman, “Hi, Mina. Didn’t know you were here.”

Mina shrugged, “I was already here when I found these two, and I was just about to leave as well. Have fun you guys,” with that, the young Japanese left.

Lisa turned to Chaeyoung, who exhaustedly sat on the chair Mina previously occupied, and asked, “How was work in the precinct, babe?”

Chaeyoung chuckled, “Exhausting. Jennie and I were actually on patrol and tried to apprehend some criminals, but unfortunately, they got away.” Lisa gave an empathetic smile as she rubbed the red head’s back.

“I’m sure you’ll get them eventually,” Lisa assured, kissing the side of Chaeyoung’s head, “Do you girls want to have lunch here before heading to the amusement park?”

“Of course, babe,” Chaeyoung leaned against Lisa’s shoulders, “I love everything you plan for our date,” Lisa turned to her best friend who was receiving her own girlfriends complains and Chaeyoung chuckled, “Well… double date.”


	10. Blind

_I’ve had this draft/plot for a long time now and had finished rewriting it now. Please let me know what you guys think in the comments; I haven’t been at my best in writing lately._

\--

 

Birds perched themselves on the branches, chirping with joyous songs that welcomed the new morning; various flowers of pinks, yellows and reds greeted the spring with a pleasant, vibrant grace against the lush greenery in the gardens. The rustling of the trees was heard along with the cool breeze that slipped through the opened windows which then led to a large balcony of the estate, brushing against her warm skin from across the room.

The bright sunlight spilled into the empty ballroom through the large windows the nearly touched the ceiling, casting a silhouette of the window frames—and the woman that stood there—with motes of dust dancing through the atmosphere. An old grand piano, still in good condition, stood farther on the right near a space that resembles a stage where other performers would play.

Her long hair shone radiantly under the sunlight, cascading down her shoulders like golden waterfalls, as she stood by the windows, basking in its secured warmth. Her dress as silver as the glowing moon against the blackest sky, woven from the finest silk and lace, hugged her lithe and fragile frame like a hand holding a delicate wine glass; warming her from the leftover coolness from the night before as it swayed against the gentle breeze. She was still—hands clasped together at her front—like an ivory statue, poised with an elegance acquired through years of dedication.

Park Roseanne was a beautiful rose, burning with passion unmatched by any other. She was the fairest woman that ever existed inside the capital where women from noble and royal families strive to achieve with expensive jewelry, cosmetics, and dresses; A perfection they hungered for. She was loved and hated by many.

Yet, she remained humble and kind with a soul akin to an adventurous doe—pure and innocent. And in Lisa’s eyes, she was a _deity_ that cannot be touched at this very moment.

Jisoo nudged on her side and Lisa turned to see a dimpled, albeit teasing, smile plastered on the shorter woman’s face. For a moment, she glanced down her clothes—dark breeches hugging her toned legs, tucked under her boots that ended around her calves, topped by a white linen shirt under a dark waistcoat. She was _miraculously_ clean after their morning ride, but she felt underdressed.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” her companion whispered and left the room.

Lisa took a deep breath, held her chin up, and walked confidently across the empty ballroom towards the noblewoman. However, the confidence was smothered into jittering nerves when Rosé sensed her presence and turned around with a lovely smile. It was magnetizing enough that Lisa couldn’t look away. Her hands were beginning to feel clammy as she balled them into fists. She was then overly conscious of the warmth radiating between them and her heart jumped to her throat when her eyes landed on the glazed orbs, momentarily disabling her ability to speak.

Her eyes were as grey as a dove’s feathers, the ones with hue so soft that could be mistaken as the graphite from a pencil, surrounded with a glittering mirth like birds flying across bluest skies with serene ease. In them were also a canopy of ashes and smoke—thick and suffocating—that held the remains of what was once a lush green pasture, with radiant flowers growing from the earth’s soil, that disappeared from the harrowing fire. There was sorrow underneath those cloud and the rain couldn’t wash it away.

Nevertheless, her eyes stole her breath away.

“How was your ride?” Rosé asked, her voice as sweet as honeycombs, with the smile lingering on her lips. Lisa shook herself back into reality as her heart raced against her chest, “I was wondering when you and Jisoo would come back from the meadows.”

“The usual,” Lisa simply, scratching the back of her neck, “How long have you been standing here?”

Rosé shrugged her shoulders, “For a while now, I suppose. I was enjoying the warmth from the sun outside.”

Lisa raised a brow, “You could have stepped out into the balcony to enjoy more of its warmth, it would have been easier that way.”

The older blonde chuckled softly, a hand instinctively raised to cover her grin, “I came here to play the piano, but I may have gotten a bit distracted.”

Lisa frowned. Silence stretched between them. One was unaware of the other’s negative expression, while the other felt terrible about the past. It was these little things that Lisa felt helpless and regret inside her chest, wishing that things could have been different than the present they were currently living in. Whenever the noblewoman would talk about the simplest things as the warmth of the sun or the trees rustling outside, it pricks her heart with rusty needles. She unconsciously sighed.

Rosé furrowed her brows, “Is there something wrong, Lisa?” Lisa shook her head, immediately berating herself.

“No…” She said, knowing certainly well that the other woman was unconvinced, “Nothing’s wrong, Chaeng.” Rosé reached out to her and Lisa immediately held out her arm for her, the latter gratefully intertwined their arms together. Lisa then guided her to the grand piano across the room.

“You sound crestfallen,” Rosé said while her other hand felt for the surface of the piano. Once she did, her hand caressed the smooth wood as Lisa guided her to the bench, “You know it saddens me to hear you bothered or sad, Lisa.”

Lisa sighed once more, “I’m sorry, Rosé. It’s just—”

“It’s because of the accident, isn’t it?” A sad smile was visible on her lips, and Lisa couldn’t help but curse herself once more for ruining the bright morning mood. She watched Rosé open the lid of the piano and run her fingers on the black and white keys, seemingly missing the familiarity of it under her fingers, before beginning to play a piece. _Mozart_.

Despite her inability to see, Lisa was amazed with Rosé’s passion for music and her determination to relearn what she loved doing. However, it only reminded the younger woman of the terrible accident and Lisa would regret being helpless that time—two years ago, in fact.

Lisa sat on the empty space beside Rosé, “It’s difficult to forget about it, Rosé. Especially when you mention simple things like the outdoors or your books.”

Rosé stopped playing her fingers ghosting above the keys, before she spoke softly, “Stop looking back into the past, Lisa…” She then closed the lid and turned to the younger woman’s direction. She carefully reached out to cup her small face and caressed her cheeks, “I’m not there anymore, I’m here. No amount of wishing could change what happened and all we could do is look forward to the future while enjoying ourselves in the present.”

“I’m sorry,” Lisa sighed, “I—”

“Shh…” Rosé leaned her own forehead against hers as she hushed the other blonde, “Stop thinking about it. It won’t do you any good, darling.”

Lisa closed her eyes, allowing the other woman’s presence to steal the regrets inside her chest away. The chirping outside became clearer and the midsummer breeze tickled her skin once more as the tranquil _silence_ stretched between them disappeared into the horizon. She opened her eyes and immediately gazed into the noblewoman’s; her heart fastened at the sudden consciousness of their _close_ vicinity. She held one of the hands that cupped her face, eliciting a faint gasp from Rosé, and leaned her cheeks into her warm touch.

“Is there one thing that you would love to learn again?” She asked, knowing that the other blonde would appreciate the change of subject. Rosé smiled softly.

“I’d love to learn how to dance again,” She said shyly, a faint blush appearing across her cheeks, “Will you teach me?”

Lisa slowly pulled herself away from the noblewoman, her hand still holding on to hers, and stood up. She guided the blonde woman to stand up and pulled her into the center of the ballroom. She guided her free hand to rest on her broad shoulder and held out their glued hands; she wrapped her own hand around Rosé’s slender waist and gently pulled her closer.

“It’s been a while since I’ve danced waltz,” Rosé softly said, a shy smile on her lips, “Apologies in advance when if I step on your feet.”

Lisa grinned lovingly and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll do wonderful.”

“I might as well play the piano for you two,” someone voice out through the ballroom and Lisa turned to Jisoo leaning casually against marbled pillar, “You two would look awkward dancing without a tune.”

“Please do,” Rosé said softly, a blush across her cheeks. Lisa gave a curt nod to the shorter woman who quickly settled herself at the piano. When the oldest woman began to play, Lisa couldn’t help but snort and Rosé let out a chuckle. It was dramatic for an intro (that lasted a minute).

“Tchaikovsky,” Rosé said as the two composed themselves _._ She grinned, “Waltz of the Flowers.”

Lisa smiled, “From that play The Nutcracker, was it?” Rosé nodded, “I’ll take a step back soon, and I promise that I’ll take care of you.” When the music _finally_ fell into a familiar tune of _one, two, three._ Lisa took a step back, just as she had said, and Rosé took a step forward as well. It was a bit tentative from the loss of practice, but Lisa knew that noblewoman would remember.

Besides, once you learned waltz, you never forget how to dance to it.

She dances; Rosé dances. They danced into the steady rhythm of the piano’s music and the well-worn steps fell into the back of her head as Lisa’s mind began to wander, right when she saw a glisten of mirth in her dance partner’s eyes. She could never forget how her eyes would twinkle like the stars under the candlelight when they danced to various tunes of the waltz. It has been a long time since the last.

Lisa had nearly forgotten how good it had felt. How the space between them dared to cross intimacy; hand to hand, chest to chest. Rosé was warmer than the fire burning in the furnaces, yet she could feel the shivers from every point they made contact; from Rosé’s hand in hers, to the one resting on her shoulder and down to her own around Rosé’s waist. She swore that her heart would burst at any minute now.

“Where’s your mind run off to this time?” Rosé said, a teasing grin on her face. Lisa shook her head back into reality, having been caught being absent while they danced. She suddenly spun her around and Rosé gasped. She caught onto her own foot, but Lisa was there to save her from the embarrassment before landing on the same steps once more. Lisa chuckled.

“You are cold,” Rosé shook her head, giggling anyway. Lisa shrugged.

“I had a feeling you were getting bored,” she teased.

They quickened their pace as the music quickened. Dancing around the ballroom as they had once done before, millions of times, before falling into a stop—right as the music ended. Rosé was breathing heavily, having not used to dancing for two years now. Lisa turned to Jisoo who had gave a curt nod before leaving the two. She turned back to Rosé and pulled their foreheads together. Rosé closed her eyes, savoring their _intimate_ closeness as much as she could. It’s always been like that.

“For someone who hasn’t been dancing, you fell right back into it the moment the song began,” Lisa said, her voice falling into a whisper, “I doubt there was any need of me to teach you, Roseanne.”

Rosé smiled gently and pulled away, “It gets lonely when you’re not around, Lisa.”

Lisa raised a hand and pushed the strand of blonde hair behind her ears. A blush dusted across Rosé cheeks and, just like that, she became shy in front of her _best friend._ She kept an arm around her waist and pulled the woman even closer. Rosé gasped.

Her voice dropped when she asked, “How long are we going to play this game, Rosé? You know, as well as I do, that I had romantic feelings for you right from the beginning you saved this little ole stable girl from drowning.”

Rosé shrugged her shoulders, a grin on her face, “I’m already guilty for playing coy around you, Ms. Manoban, yet you are also as guilty as me.”

“Honestly, I’m more of a nervous wreck than you,” Lisa chuckled. Rosé leaned closer and rested her head against her broad shoulder, sighing. Silence stretched between them before Rosé lifted her head up and cupped her face once again.

“I miss looking at you, Lisa…” She admitted, “You have no idea what I’d do to turn back time just to see you again.”

Lisa leaned closer to the warm, soft hand that held her. Words had stuck themselves in her throat and she swallowed back the lump that had formed. She took a deep breath and sighed, “You said it yourself, Rosé. We can only look forward to the future and enjoy ourselves in the present,” she leaned closer and she could feel the noblewoman’s warm breath against her lips, “I, for one, look forward to what the present would give.”

She closed her eyes and _finally_ captured her lips. Rosé let out a soft gasp. Lisa’s heart raced when Rosé melted against the kiss and reciprocated, wrapping her slender arms around her neck as she pulled her closer—the kiss went deeper. For too long, the women held themselves back for reasons unknown to them. Yet, Lisa always knew that she simply couldn’t speak her heart when Rosé was around.

It’s different now. Lisa pulled her closer as the two of them pulled away to catch their breaths—and captured each other’s lips once more. Their kiss became desperate and passionate, neither of them wanting to let go. However, Rosé moaned against their kiss and the two of them stopped. Lisa could feel the heat going up to her cheeks and a faint blush was visible on Rosé’s as well.

They waited _too_ long.

“Uhm—uh,” Lisa stuttered, not knowing where to start. She felt too warm and it was bothering her more than the last time, which happened to be walking into Rosé getting dressed since the latter said she was _already_ decent.

Rosé pressed a quick peck on her lips and asked, “My quarters or yours?”

Lisa widened her eyes, surprised. Though she shouldn’t have been considering how daring this woman was sometimes; most of the time she was a delicate and perfectly crafted Goddess. Lisa shook her head, pulling herself back into reality before her mind would wander farther.

“Are you sure?”

Rosé merely smiled, “You and I have been waiting for too long, Lisa. It’s about time we’ve done _something_ about it.”

“I can’t say no to that, can’t I?” Lisa asked, jokingly, and Rosé shook her head, “Take my arm and I’ll guide you to your quarters. We wouldn’t want the others to think too much if we go to mine.”

Rosé held unto her arm and allowed herself to be led, once more, by the other blonde, “Next time then,” she said as the two of them left the ballroom.

\--

“I bet they’ll spend the night together,” Jisoo grinned as she leaned back against the chair, feet resting on the table. Her wife stood by the fireplace, shaking her head.

“Oh God, it took them what? Five years of that ‘push and pull’ was it?” Jisoo nodded and Jennie sighed, yet she was grinning, “I was _this_ close in locking them inside a closet.” She emphasized with a minuscule space between her fingers.

Jisoo chuckled, “Oh well, at least the two of them had finally _acknowledged_ their feelings.”


End file.
